Stories for a Lost Child

The summer before going into high school, Fiona receives a mysterious box in the mail, one that she hopes will answer her questions about her Anishinaabe Indian heritage. It contains stories written by the grandfather she never knew, an Anishinaabe man her mother refuses to talk about. As she reads his stories about blackbirds and bigfoot, as well as tales about Indians in space and homeless Native men camping by the river in Minneapolis, Fiona finds other questions arising—questions about her grandfather and the experiences that shaped his stories, questions about her mother's silence regarding the grandfather she never knew. Fiona's desire to know more and her mother's reluctance to share stir up bitter feelings of anger and disappointment that slowly transform as she reads the stories into a warmer understanding of the difficulties of family, love, and the weight of the past.

"Stories for a Lost Child is a magnificent stitching together of distinctive narrative voices, surreal images, and poetic language that together create an innovative from with great heart. While space travel and eccentric characters give this novel a lightness and ease, the story of a lost child leads to a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Native people today: loss of language and culture, identity confusion, and generational trauma. Meland navigates these topics by moving from a brilliant rendition of Sasquatch to an old priest to a young girl and beyond, providing a compelling storyline that pulls the reader through the shifts in voice and form. Any reader who appreciates skillfully rendered, imaginative stories will find this book and exceptional read." —Diane Wilson