Title: Firekeeper
Author: Katłįą
Publisher: Fernwood Publishing
Genre: Fiction, Indigenous
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review:

Firekeeper by Katłįą has so many layers. It’s the story of a girl who is in need of healing, and her journey towards that. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is the story of so many. It reminds me of the book I read a while back, Realizing A Good Life. In that book, the author interviewed many men, most of whom were Indigenous, and these men would tell their stories of their lives. How their lives fell apart due to bad decisions and bad influences in their lives. That’s what happens to Nyla in this story. How her life came to be a certain way, and how she deals with what life throws at her.

It’s almost like a story of survival, at least that’s a part of it. It’s Nyla’s survival story. There’s so much of this book that I think is important, and like I said with Realizing a Good Life, these stories are so heartbreaking. I do recommend that others read stories like this, as a learning experience so that they don’t go down that path.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that it’s a long, dark road that sucks you in and makes it hard to get back out. A world where there’s no one to trust and nothing to fall back on.

Firekeeper is a journey through so many things, but the most important thing is the ending and the lessons learned from it. Healing of the mind, body, and soul.
I recommend this book to those who are on a healing journey of their own, and perhaps this book can serve as a reminder or some motivation to never give up hope 🤍

Heres the official synopsis from Fernwood:

Nyla has an affinity to fire. A neglected teen in a small northern town—trying to escape a mother battling her own terrors—she is kicked out and struggles through life on the streets. Desperate for love, Nyla accidentally sets fire to her ex’s building and is then incarcerated for arson. Through community-led diversion, Nyla finds herself on a reserve as their firekeeper. But when climate change–induced wildfires threaten her new home, she knows intimately how to fight back.
The fourth book from acclaimed writer Katłıà brings a Northern Indigenous perspective to the destructive effects of ongoing colonialism. Displaying Katłıà’s enthralling storytelling style, Firekeeper is a coming-of-age tale that addresses intergenerational trauma by reclaiming culture, belonging and identity.
Join Nyla on her healing journey through the fire to sacred waters.