In this intricate dance of language and voice, a contemporary narrator – a Cree woman – draws into the telling of her own story the poignant history of her ancestors and the European newcomers they tragically welcomed into their lives.

Grandmothers both actual and spiritual are prominent in this book of vivid characters, but many others, present and past, also appear – Native men and women, fur traders, Jesuits, Metis – all of whose stories interact in the drama of contact so brilliantly rendered here.

* Finalist, Governor General's Award for Poetry
* Finalist, Book of the Year Award, Poetry Award, Saskatchewan Book Awards

“Louise Halfe has listened with reverent attention to the beautiful, strong voices of her Cree grandmothers and has allowed her own voice to dance with theirs. Exuberant, disturbing, and always deeply moving, the resulting poems roar, whisper and sing on the page. This book is a gift. It is a privilege to read it.” – Jane Urquhart