Rewind Review: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

Prior to moving to Canada in 2019, I hadn't learned of the history of residential schools in this country. And even though the tragedies of these institutions have been all over the news, I was still unable to grasp the full, complete truth that was a reality for far too many.

Michelle Good’s Five Little Indians offers tales of several First Nations children who were taken from their families, forced into residential schools. While their specific stories are fictional, they ring true and are clearly based on the experiences of real people.

I think what I appreciated most about this book was the different characters’ POV Good uses to tell the stories of these children. The majority of the story takes place when they are grown adults, and shows how their trauma and experiences at the residential schools ripple throughout the rest of their lives. By telling these stories, Good gives us a window to understand the bigger picture.

I appreciated the realistic framing of the story. There is hope and inspiration and connection, and there is darkness and struggle and isolation, showing us that not everyone handles horrific events in the same way or at the same rate. These children were up against unspeakable circumstances, and were never given the tools to cope and make their way back into a world that was unprepared for them (and they for it).

Five Little Indians is a Canada Reads finalist and deservedly so, telling a tale from this country’s history that is too often swept under the rug and not fully understood. As expected, events in this book can be triggering depending upon your experiences (including references to child abuse, alcoholism, and sexual assault).

We still have a long way to go in terms of reconciliation, but I believe books like this accentuate the importance of reconciliation and also put names and stories to what we hear on the news.