HOME     Informal Bio      Book Reviews      Residential School (Books)      A Seminole Legend (Review)

Seasons (2 parts)    Kirk Mitchell    My Resume      Creative Services


 

 

 

 

Will’s Garden

By Lee Maracle

2002, Theytus Books (Canada) Ltd               

Binding: Trade paperback

ISBN: 1-89477802-2

Pages: 224

 

Theytus Books, Canada

 

 

 

 

Coming of age in Sto:loh

 

Will’s Garden is the story a young Northwest Pacific

aboriginal man preparing for his coming of age ceremony.

It takes place in the traditional seaside territory of the

Sto:loh (also called Sto:lo) nation of British Columbia,

Canada. Will is about to turn sixteen and is caught up in

the frenzy of preparing for his "Becoming Man" ceremony,

with the help of all members of his community.

 

The family home is a beehive of activity as his parents,

cousins, siblings, aunts, uncle and grandparents work to

create hand-made jewelry, clothing and blankets for the

Giveaway. His mother and his aunts, with babies on their

backs, gather in the kitchen to prepare food for the

workers. Visitors drop in to help out.

 

The book’s title comes from Will’s beadwork on

ceremonial shawls, complicated, colorful garden scenes,

inspired by his mother’s flowerbed. He and his cousin

Sarah are the family beading artists.

Sarah creates designs and Will fills them in.

Soon Will is creating designs that rival

Sarah's best, inspired by his mother's garden.

 

Will feels the sting of first love when a young

female guest arrives. He has to vacate his room

for the girl and her mother, sleeping instead in

a tent in the back yard with his brothers and

male cousins. The fifteen-year-old visitor,

beautiful and poised, strikes in spark in young Will.

 

He plots how he can convince her to wait until

he turns nineteen, the age when Sto-loh men

are allowed to marry.

 

Around preparations for the ceremony, life goes on

normally. Will and his cousins, Thomas and Sarah, catch

the bus to the off-reserve high school, where the football

jocks bully the Indian students. Will says he has been

hurt by his teammates in practice more often than

by opposing players in real games.

 

Will and his sidekick Thomas make friends with a

group of unpopular kids, forming a united front against

the jock bullies. Homosexuality, friendship, dealing with

bullies and making plans for their futures are

issues that the group has to sort out. They note sadly

that the kids from the Sto:loh community rarely

finish high school.

 

The construction of a daycare, a school and a senior

centre on the reservation has been put on hold by the

government. The tribe sets out to build the centre by

themselves, the men and children taking up hammers,

and other tools, while women bring food to the site.

 

To complicate things, Will falls ill unexpectedly and ends

up in the hospital battling for his life. In his sick room,

he assesses his life, his relationships and his duties.

Visiting family members, a kind West Indian

nurse and his blind grandfather help him clarify his future.

 

The indomitable strength of the Sto:loh people is

captured through author Lee's storytelling skills.

Their spirituality and strong family values would

ensure their survival over disease, poverty

and cultural and spiritual oppression.

 

Will’s Garden is Lee Maracle's first novel to cross

over into young adult fiction. She is considered an

authority on Canadian aboriginal cultural. A strong

storyteller, Maracle portrays the issues with empathy,

humour and tenderness. A fun, informative read.

 


All content on this website is protected by copyright law.

Please report any errors and typos. 

I am my own proofreader.

All text (c) 2010 Ramona Kiyoshk

Photography (c) by Ramona Kiyoshk

Art and Graphics by Colette Copeland

Last updated: July 25, 2010

(formerly satinmoccasins.com)