Frenchie is barely a teenager when he is separated from his brother and left to fend for himself, running from The Recruiters. His father disappeared years earlier and his mother is gone. Frenchie meets up with a group of other travellers, a ragtag gang ranging from seven-year-old Riri to their elder, Minerva. They are pushing north, seeking safety and community, always on the lookout for those who want to hunt them for their very marrow.
This is a dystopian young adult fiction set in the near future. Climate change has changed the boundaries of city and country, as well as the land itself. People have been pushed into cities where disease and violence reigns. Most dangerous of all, people have stopped dreaming. Only the Indigenous peoples have kept their dreams and it isn’t long until they are rounded up and imprisoned in schools where, rumour has it, they are harvested for their marrow.
Sound familiar? Obviously it’s meant to and Dimaline draws broadly on the real life history of residential schools in Canada and the atrocities committed there. The connections aren’t subtle which reminded me frequently that this is a YA fic. That isn’t a bad thing though and for many readers this will be a powerful way to introduce them to a terrible period of Canadian history. And it serves as a reminder to all readers that we are not so far away from guilt as we like to believe ourselves to be.
The plot is fast-paced and Dimaline does an excellent job of weaving in the various characters’ backstories. Their leader, Miig, is one of the only people to have escaped from a school and he becomes a secondary father to Frenchie as his story is slowly revealed.
Frenchie himself wasn’t a very compelling character to me. He’s in love with a girl in their group but we never get to see much depth in their relationship or what he really loves about her. They have dumb teenage drama which, fair enough, they are dumb teenagers but it distracted from the more interesting characters and action around them.
As well, the science seems weak. As far as I know, we are able to extract marrow from people currently without killing them and it seems like it would make sense to keep those people alive if you need them to survive. (I hope it goes without saying that extracting bone marrow without permission is wrong no matter how you do it.) At the same time, the science and accuracy of it all felt less important to me in the larger story of loss. Of what it is to have your language, your culture, and your very essence stolen.
Dimaline’s strength lies in the world building and in her creation of a horrifying apocalypse that lies in true history. I can’t help but hope there might be a sequel to this one.
Karissa Reads Books 
I don’t know much about this part of Canada’s history, but is sounds like this could be a great starting point to inspire further reading. Great review!
Thanks! It’s a part of our history that is starting to be acknowledged a little more. When I was in school it wasn’t taught or mentioned at all. This could definitely be a good jumping off point, especially since it’s a pretty accessible read.
Frighteningly possible, given some of the horrors humans have committed on other humans over the centuries. Shame about the science aspect – I agree it would make more sense to keep your marrow donors alive – but as you say it could provide a good starter point for discussion for the younger people.
Yes, unfortunately, it’s not far off from real history. I found myself wishing Dimaline had explained the science of it better (something I rarely wish when reading sci fi!) but overall it doesn’t detract too much from the story.
I’m currently in the middle of season 3 of Anne with an E. In this season, Anne meets the local tribe and befriends a girl. Then, the government tries to convince people to send their children to schools, so the girl goes. And things get dark….
Oh, yikes! That doesn’t sound like it’s going to end well. I’ve heard the show is quite different from the books.
I actually didn’t want to watch the show and then I did and I’m so glad….except now I’ve got a bunch of feelings! 😦
I’ve heard almost entirely good things about it but I’m such a fan of the original books I think I’d have a hard time with how much the show diverts from that story.
[…] time. Cherie Dimaline was one of the rumoured authors in December so I immediately got to reading The Marrow Thieves which was on my TBR […]
[…] The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline (Dancing Cat Books, 2017) […]
I don’t read a lot of YA, but I thought this was a great book. Do you think you’ll read her newest?
Me neither but I enjoyed it too. She’s going to be one of the writers at our local writers fest this summer so I do hope to read the new one. Have you read it?
Not yet, but I have it on hold!
[…] The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (Dancing Cat Books, 2017) […]
[…] The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline […]