Words like horrifying or brutal do not succeed in conveying the monstrous actions and behaviours of the people in charge of these schools (mostly nuns and priests). Wagamese is unflinching in his depiction of the horrors that occur in residential schools such as the one ‘attended’ by Sault. Eventually, Saul is also stolen and taken to a residential school.

His parents are heartbroken and survival is difficult, but, compared to what is to come this part of his life seems like a vacation almost.

He then begins recounting his childhood, of the early years he spent with his family ‘on the lam’ back in the early 1960s in the wilderness of Northern Ontario after his siblings were taken, kidnapped really, by the so-called ‘authorities’. Indian Horse opens with Saul Indian Horse, who is Ojibwe, being in a treatment centre for his alcoholism. He writes with such empathy and compassion that I found myself unable to tear myself away from Saul’s story. In spite of how upsetting and chilling this story was, Wagamese never sensationalises his characters’ suffering nor does he include graphic and or painful scenes as a cheap way to ‘shock’ his readers. This is the third novel that I’ve read by Richard Wagamese and, while Medicine Walk and Ragged Company were no walks in the parks, Indian Horse’s unsparing bleakness and distressing content make those two seem like light reading material. His books include the YA novel The Night Wanderer, the novels Motorcycle and Sweetgrassand Chasing Painted Horses and the short story collection Take Us to Your Chief. He has served as the artistic director of Canada's premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts.Gut-wrenching and haunting Indian Horse depicts the horrific realities of residential schools, as well as racism and discrimination in 1960s Ontario. Drawing from Wagamese's essays and columns, along with preserved social media and blog posts, this beautifully designed volume is a tribute to Wagamese's literary legacy.ĭrew Hayden Taylor is an Ojibway playwright, author and journalist from Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario. He has worked on more than 17 documentaries examining Indigenous experiences. Always striving to be a better, stronger person, Wagamese shared his journey through writing, encouraging others to do the same.įollowing the success of Embers, which has sold over fifty thousand copies since its release in 2016, this new collection of Wagamese's non-fiction works, curated by editor Drew Hayden Taylor, brings together more of the prolific author's short writings, many for the first time in print, and celebrates his ability to inspire. Richard Wagamese, one of Canada's most celebrated Indigenous authors and storytellers, was a writer of breathtaking honesty and inspiration.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese