Book Recommendation: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The beginning of The Marrow Thieves quickly pulls you into the dystopian world of a Canada nearly destroyed by climate change. On top of the environmental destruction, the colonizers have lost the ability to dream, but discover that Indigenous people still can and the secret is in their bone marrow. Recruiters are deployed to hunt down all the remaining First Nations people and bring them to residential “schools” and “hospitals” that are set up to harvest the marrow from their bones that is then injected into the colonizers so they can dream again. This backdrop sets the stage for meeting the main character, Frenchie, a Métis teenager who has lost his family and is fleeing north to escape the Recruiters. Along the way, he meets up with more of his people and they decide to travel together to find a safe place to live. And maybe even stop the madness.
What you really need to know is that this book is exceptional-Cherie Dimaline is a writer you will want to know more about and The Marrow Thieves deserves a spot on your bookshelf. This novel pulls off being both beautifully written and very exciting-something not every book can make a claim to. The development of the characters is deep-to the point where you will undoubtedly find yourself in tears a number of times because they have completely stolen your heart. The plot moves quickly, which makes this an enjoyable page turner, but the depth of the story also causes the reader to reflect on their own views and to learn. At the end of the day, I can’t recommend this book enough.
This book has some very mature content that needs to be considered for younger readers but as always, you know your readers best!