Hello friends and happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well! Today I’m posting my review of Brian Thomas Isaac’s novel All the Quiet Places.

This book was nominated for the 2022 Canada Reads longlist.

All the Quiet Places by: Brian Thomas Isaac: This is the story of Eddie, a young boy who lives with his mother and brother on the edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in British Columbia. His mother is determined to ensure he learn the ways of the white world, while she tries in vain to get any sort of resources for their community. This was not only a well told coming of age story, but a story of how colonialism has affected those in the Indigenous communities. There were some harrowing moments throughout and Isaac didn’t shy away from any of the brutalities and unfairness that Indigenous people have had to suffer. Through it all though, he managed to write with such grace and beauty. The reader was captivated by the way Isaac’s words just flowed like poetry, especially when it came to the very end of this novel. He was really able to capture such an array of emotions, especially through his characters. They were so strong and bold, they truly were memorable and crafted with such affection. The bonds of family were really prominent and well-constructed. The reader enjoyed how close, most of them were, to one another. This novel took place over the course of many years and so we got to watch Eddie grow up, develop and become this well-formed character as he learned the injustices of the world; it was so heartbreaking at times but also important to read. This novel was short, yet packed a powerful punch and was well worth the read.