Celia's Song

Mink is a witness, a shape shifter, compelled to follow the story that has ensnared Celia and her village, on the West coast of Vancouver Island in Nu:Chahlnuth territory. Celia is a seer who despite being convinced she's a little "off" must heal her village with the assistance of her sister, her mother and father, and her nephews.

While Mink is visiting, a double-headed sea serpent falls off the house front during a fierce storm. The old snake, ostracized from the village decades earlier, has left his terrible influence on Amos, a residential school survivor. The occurrence signals the unfolding of an ordeal that pulls Celia out of her reveries and into the tragedy of her cousin's granddaughter. Each one of Celia's family becomes involved in creating a greater solution than merely attending to her cousin's granddaughter. Celia's Song relates one Nu:Chahlnuth family's harrowing experiences over several generations, after the brutality, interference, and neglect resulting from contact with Europeans. (From Cormorant Books)

• The great Canadian reading list: 150 books to read for Canada 150
• Lee Maracle on why she listens to her family
• Why Lee Maracle's celebrated 2014 novelCelia's Songis finally hitting the awards circuit
• Lee Maracle stormed CanLit stages to make sure her story was heard

From the book

Interviews with Lee Maracle

The Next Chapter7:10Lee Maracle answers the Proust Questionnaire

The groundbreaking indigenous writer on why Chekhov is her favourite writer, why Anna Karenina is a "magnificent" character, and more.

Other books by Lee Maracle