By Larissa Page
Daniel is a Métis child, then man, living in Edmonton, on the Avenue of Champions—first in the group home, and later raised by his Granny. We follow him through points of his life as he works his way through the push and pull of what it means to be “from the Avenue” as well as Métis, with significant intergenerational trauma to work through. Working against, and through, people’s expectations of him, this novel explores his life and the lives of those surrounding him.
This book is marketed as a novel, but it reads like a collection of interconnected, chronological short stories. Daniel, Granny, his brother Charlie, and his childhood group home friend Jason, all have voices to varying degrees throughout the telling of Daniel’s life. It starts with a prologue from decades before his birth and continues until he’s well into adulthood. I really liked the span of time in which we get to see Daniel grow, but I especially liked that each chapter was its own story, meaning we got snippets of Daniel’s life (and others’ lives) without needing all the in-between that happens throughout someone’s 40 years of living.
While I did really like the interconnected story feel of this novel, I wish it has been marketed to me that way. Some of the chapters switched narrators or perspective and it took a bit to realize who was speaking or where they were. I found this confusing when it happened until I caught on to who was talking. If I had been told they were stories, I would have known to expect that the person may change from chapter to chapter.
The writing in this novel is very real. It felt like it was likely an authentic view on the type of life someone from the avenue might live. I especially appreciated that Daniel was in a morally grey area, participating in petty crime but still working on improving his life. He wasn’t entirely either stereotype (leading a life of crime or committing completely to “getting out”). As people we are not all good or all bad and I felt that element of humanity was represented in Daniel.
I wouldn’t have sought this one out had it not been longlisted for the Giller Prize this past month, but I am so glad I did. I really enjoyed reading it; I was engaged and wanted to continue reading when I put it down. It was a quick but very meaningful read.