When the author learns of the death of her brother overseas, she embarks on a journey to bring him home. Through memories and dreams of all they shared together and through her Dene traditions, she finds comfort and strength.
The lyrical art and story leave readers with a universal message of hope and love.
December 16, 2019
In an illustrated book written for older audiences, debut author Boivin writes about a young woman traveling to England to bring home the ashes of her older brother, who died suddenly and alone. In digitally created artwork, stylized human figures appear in brilliant hues against dark, velvety backgrounds. After the woman picks up the box of her brother’s ashes (“It felt so strange to hold your body in a small, heavy box”), then arrives at his apartment and learns of his lengthy sickness, she is overcome with sadness: “I thought that we would have more time.” Yet as she learns more, she embarks on a path of healing: “Your spirit was so powerful, I could feel you spinning above me.” Cedar will calm her brother’s spirit, she knows. She wraps cedar branches that she forages around the box of ashes, then takes it exploring with her, wanting “to understand how you lived.” She rides a park carousel with it: “I could feel your spirit laughing.” Boivin, a member of Canada’s Deninu Kue First Nation, offers a fresh understanding of death and grief, which she portrays not as a breach in the natural order of things, but as an integral part of them: “You have left us, but you are also here now.” Ages 12–up.