SONS OF TECUMSEH

In Switzer’s novel, a charismatic legal researcher is chosen to lead Canada’s Congress of First Nations during a time of dire need.

A new leader is on the scene: Billy Favell, a Saskatchewan-based member of the Cree Nation and a survivor of the forced residential schools program, is a camera-ready chief who effectively took a crash course in politics while working for a lawyer in Ottawa. Eventually, he becomes leader of the Congress of First Nations. There are hundreds of reservations across the country whose needs are pressing, and their history is painful. Billy knows all this firsthand, but he’s still swept up in the national political scene, enticed by money and perks, and overwhelmed by controversies and demands of the job. He’s also a womanizer, and his spending habits are causing headaches, so a personal assistant, Peshu Butler, is hired by the Congress to run interference with critics and serve as “a combination bodyguard-chauffeur-confidant.” The worldly Peshu knows that the relationship between the tribes and the government is as if “victims of a holdup relied on the generosity of the gang who had robbed them to supply them with living expenses.” Meanwhile, Sarah Koostachin, an affiliate of the militant group Sons of Tecumseh, impresses Peshu with her forceful will to uplift Indigenous people. As Billy’s star rises, loyalties are tested and egos collide as calls for stronger policy positions in areas such as health care, education, land claims, and economic development grow louder. Switzer’s highly political, issue-oriented novel is awash in Canadian history, contemporary politics, and a multitude of social and infrastructure problems that plague the country’s First Nations population. He also nicely connects the past to the present through the story of Tecumseh and his modern-day urban namesakes. Bustling descriptions of national politics, tribes, and their leaders are all present; it’s a lot for one novel to tackle, and the political lessons sometimes come at the expense of a strong, driving plot. The characters feel true to life, and the knowledge they wield is invaluable. However, there may not be enough of a narrative arc to keep all readers engaged to the end.

An ambitious, if unevenly executed, story about the fractured relationship between Indigenous Canadians and the national government.