Thank you so much to the publisher for the gifted copy! This one is out in paperback in the US now.

A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter is a beautifully layered novel that delves into the complexities of family, Métis heritage, and intergenerational trauma. Centered around a cast of Métis women, each grappling with their own struggles and desires for healing, the novel weaves together personal stories in a style that feels like a series of prose poems—delicate, rhythmic, and deeply introspective.

At its core, this is a novel about the ties that bind women across generations and the weight of inherited pain. Mamé, the family matriarch, has just crossed into the spirit world and is searching for her husband, resisting the pull of the pearly gates of Christian heaven. Carter, tough and guarded after surviving adoption and abuse, is reconnecting with her biological family and coming to terms with her Métis identity. Geneviève, Carter’s great-grandmother, has bravely decided to get sober right at the end of her life, while Lucie, Carter’s estranged grandmother, is asking for Carter’s help to die. Dee, in a striking narrative shift, is a bison—an embodiment of transformation and the land’s spiritual wisdom.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its inventive storytelling. The alternating perspectives immerse the reader in each woman’s world, allowing their voices to shine while gradually revealing the larger narrative arc. Porter’s decision to include animal perspectives, particularly through Dee, adds a unique dimension to the story, grounding it in themes of nature, continuity, and the land’s healing power. Through these lenses, the novel contemplates how stories—both personal and ancestral—shape our identities, influence our choices, and offer paths to healing.

Porter’s prose is luminous and evocative, blending poetic imagery with the raw emotionality of her characters’ journeys. There’s a dreamlike quality to the writing, where memories and the present blur, evoking the sensation of being told a story in fragments. The novel explores the idea that the process of storytelling itself—whether through tarot, family lore, or the spirit world—is a way of preserving cultural knowledge and passing on vital wisdom.

While the novel is ambitious in scope, some plot points could have benefited from deeper exploration. However, this did not detract significantly from my overall enjoyment. The thematic richness—touching on feminist struggles, the burden of caregiving, and the enduring presence of trauma—along with Porter’s experimental narrative techniques, left a lasting impression.

A Grandmother Begins the Story is a poignant meditation on what it means to come home to oneself, to one's family, and to one's roots. It’s a novel that doesn’t shy away from the messiness of healing but rather embraces it as part of the journey toward rebirth and renewal. For its lyrical prose, compelling characters, and fresh take on Métis storytelling, this book earns a solid 4.5 stars, and Porter has gained a new fan in this reader!

📖 Recommended For: Readers who enjoy poetic, lyrical prose; those interested in exploring themes of intergenerational trauma, Indigenous identity, and family; anyone drawn to stories centered on Métis culture and spirituality; fans of Billy-Ray Belcourt.

🔑 Key Themes: Intergenerational Trauma, Cultural Heritage and Storytelling, Healing and Rebirth, Family and Estrangement, Feminism and Caregiving.