HOPELESS IN HOPE

Eva may live in a place called Hope, but she feels hopeless.

Fourteen-year-old Eva’s life in small-town British Columbia is far from perfect—her mom is often gone and perpetually drunk or hungover, her best friend isn’t talking to her, and she gets teased at school—but she has the constant love of little brother Marcus, the stray cat she took in, and Nohkum, her maternal grandmother, who can magic up delicious soup from whatever she gets at the food bank. When Nohkum breaks her hip and ends up in the hospital and Marcus is found wandering several kilometers away from home, social services get involved. Eva ends up in a group home, while Marcus is placed with a foster family. As she adjusts to her new living situation, Eva gains the stability to reflect on her relationship with her mother and their Cree family’s inherited trauma due to abusive government policies. Readers, in turn, are offered an age-appropriate and nuanced exploration of the legacy of separation and alcoholism that was inflicted on Native families for generations. The story presents a path forward, one in which we can have empathy for trauma responses while also holding people accountable for their impact. This YA fiction debut by poet and graphic novelist John-Kehewin (Cree) is a tender and even humorous coming-of-age story that depicts the traumatic legacy of residential schools in Canada.

A resonant story of healing, belonging, and persisting despite the odds.