Book Review: Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway 5/5 stars

 Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway is a masterpiece. I discovered it mostly because I was a little disappointed in another book and wanted to read more Cree literature.  First published in 1998 in Canada, it is the author's only novel. Although it is now several decades old, it reads as if it were a freshly published novel and I am surprised that more people are not reading it, given the recent discoveries and discussion regarding Residential schools in both Canada and the United States.  With our new awareness of these "schools" I think this is an important read, especially as it was written, back when I couldn't have told you about the Residential Schools in any serious way and, it gives a nod to the missing/murdered indigenous woman that has been only recently before the public eye. 

     In short, the Kiss of the Fur Queen follows the story of two Cree boys in the 1950's in Canada. They are removed from their homes and sent to a Catholic residential school. There, the boys are subjected to multiple types of abuse, but continue to grow and learn, traveling to a modern city for high school and beyond. The boys straddle traditional Cree culture and modern Canadian culture with great difficulty, eventually finding success in the arts. Throughout the novel, they periodically interact with the enigmatic Fur Queen - who seems to represent the trickster, Wisakedjak. She shows up often at times of decisions and high emotions, reminding the two main characters of the Indigenous culture and values.  The magical realism of the book- really grabbed me, as it just elevated this book from being a story of two Indigenous men removed from their culture.

   The themes and ideas explored throughout the book are specific to Indigenous culture but also broad enough to encompass the humanity as a whole. Highway 's work addresses the complexities of the world, as see through the eyes of children, relationships between siblings, the experience of shared trauma, culture, if one can ever really "return home" after being away and the many forms of grief individuals can experience through life. The writing is impeccable, and although the subject matter was difficult, I found myself fully focused on the trajectory of these two men, their choices and eventually the conclusion. For me, this MAY be one of my most important reads of 2025. I noted some mixed reviews of a review site, and did note that many people couldn't explain why they didn't like the book- they just acknowledged it was an important book but it "wasn't for them" so I suspect, it may have made them extremely uncomfortable with the truth exposed in a brutal but engaging way. Some did cite the blending of the real with the unreal, but I just didn't see that the blending was that fantastical or weird, I think it just covered A LOT of uncomfortable topics without euphemisms or other ways to allow readers to pretend they didn't just read *that*.  

 I listened to this book via Audio. The Narrator is Patricia Cano, who did an amazing job bringing a lyrical quality to the work, and definitely added to my enjoyment- especially given some of the more difficult and long place and people names. Definitely recommend audio. 

STATS:

First Published: 1998

Pages: 320

Available as an Audiobook: YES

Trigger warnings: Child loss,  Parent loss, alcohol use, depression , Child abuse, SA, generational trauma.

As always this is not a complete list, please read responsible.