Comments (35)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 35 items
Jan 29, 2024Cold_Metal25 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Reading this book felt like a chore. While I find books from an indigenous perspective important in the modern landscape of Canada, considering Canada's history with Indigenous people and the on going problems Indigenous people continue to…
Oct 20, 2022jvander rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
After the first 10 pages I gave up based on the language and lack of time to dedicate to a difficult to read book. I might pick it up again later when I have time. For now I'm not impressed.
Apr 14, 2022AlteredStaite rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I liked it overall and I stayed with it to the end. Honesty is sometimes brutal. I'll write a proper review when I have time to give it the credit it deserves and I do more research on the author and if it's classified as a YA "gothic"…
Jan 16, 2022
I did not finish reading this book. There was too much vulgar language in it for my tastes.
Jun 09, 2021Stéphanie_biblio rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I did enjoy this book and was glad to support the author. The writing puts you directly into Jared's head and his perception of his 16 year-old life (substance abuse, poverty, absent parents, etc.). However, the description of the setting…
Mar 20, 2021sgcf rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Well. That was quite a ride! Robinson’s portrayal of 16-year-old Jared being raised in a wildly dysfunctional setting is both laugh-out-loud funny and painful. A graphic, unflinching look at Native life in northern BC, it is laced with…
Mar 19, 2021
You'll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with Jared, the young narrator of this coming of age/fantasy novel, a smartass, heart-of-gold, troubled young man growing up on a First Nations reservation in a dysfunctional family up in Canada.…
Jan 20, 2021SLDESLIPPE rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
There’s a lot to like about this book. The use of language is quite effective, it’s very funny and enjoyable even as it occasionally touches on dark subject matter. I liked the inclusion of both indigenous traditions and contemporary…
Nov 11, 2020dstradling rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is a very well-written account of a First Nations teenage boy living in a "party house" and mostly raising himself. Not as much magic as I expected, but still a great book. I respect Robinson for not flinching away from writing a…
Mar 07, 2020
Son of a Trickster is the first of five finalists in the upcoming Canada Reads debates which run from March 16-19. Tune in to hear what the panelists have to say about this original, coming of age story by much loved, Canadian author,…
Feb 29, 2020dirtbag rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
It's YA fiction which I am not the correct age to comment on....it didn't really appeal to me, but Jared is a likable enough kid living in ridiculously bad circumstances. This is one of the Canada Reads books for 2020.
Jan 19, 2020bellasonya rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I read Monkey Beach years ago and I quite enjoyed it but I really didn’t enjoy this book for a variety of reasons. I’m surprised that it has such good reviews as I honestly thought it was terrible and I forced myself to finish it. First,…
Nov 24, 2019Kay Thomas rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Such a cool book, very dark and quite serious at times. I was so excited to find out that this is part of a trilogy, I want to know more about Jareds Trickster heritage!
spudwil
Sep 21, 2019spudwil rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Well written and funny at times, but I was confused when the supernatural characters were introduced. Were they "real" or a figment of Jared's drug induced paranoia? I couldn't tell. I know the author is Indigenous, but I find so many…
Sep 13, 2019STPL_JessH rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a difficult book to read because Jared's life is beyond difficult. Robinson's writing is so compelling and this book has real staying power. I loved the integration of beasts and beauty with moments of squalor. This is not a clear…
DonnaMeness
Feb 02, 2019
Good story ...similar to Rhymes for Young Ghouls.,,in explaining issues brought up in the previous comments. for people interested in further research read Doug Boyd: writes about Rolling Thunder & Mad Bear Anderson.. too bad none of…
Jan 17, 2019SCL_Justin rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is a good first book in a trilogy, if you're looking for an urban fantasy with first nations themes, but one that feels like a real (or at least a CanLit version of real) life. I really liked how this book had a slow burn of the…
Jan 10, 2019alibraryguy rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
This was just plain terrible. A rather depressing look at an indigenous teen, Jared, living a hell-hole existence in Kitimat, BC. An unrelenting account of family dysfunction, drug abuse, alcoholism and poverty. And to top it all off, a…
Jun 29, 2018uncommonreader rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Eden Robinson is a wonderful, and very funny, writer. I liked this story in which the 16 year old is the only one who holds it together. However, it seemed to get a little silly near the end.
Apr 02, 2018mclarjh rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I would have never borrowed this book if I knew in advance it was the first in a trilogy, and I'll certainly not read the following two parts. This could have been a teenage superhero or fantasy comic book. But it is too dismal, cynical,…
Mar 22, 2018shakticat rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Enjoyed this book so much, it was riveting, poetic and spoke on many levels about a young teen, his story, his experiences and loved the magical scenes that this author exposes us the reader to. It was chilling and sad then dives deep -…
Mar 02, 2018rodraglin rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Jared is a fifteen year-old First Nations youth living with his mother, Maggie and her boyfriend in a small town in northern British Columbia. To say Jared's family is dysfunctional would be an understatement. His mother has a…
Mar 01, 2018
Could only read halfway through then gave up. I agree with a previous comment about the constant substance abuse being tedious. Just got tired of reading about the main character getting drunk and vomiting. The dysfunctional characters…
Jan 16, 2018JessicaGma rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
It's a different read, and I had no idea it has been Giller nominated when I saw it suggested. I'll be curious to see where the story goes if it is indeed part of a larger trilogy. I liked the mix of realism and magic, and Jared is stuck…
Jan 08, 2018pspice rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, excellent, funny. I enjoyed this world immensely even though it is so far away from my own reality. Sarcastic humour rules!