Invisible North

Starred review from November 7, 2016
What begins as a journalist’s journey to discover the roots of a remote First Nations water crisis becomes a gripping first-person account of an outsider’s short but intense experience of the brutal conditions that are daily life for many First Nations communities in Canada. Shimo’s time in the northern Ontario Kashechewan reserve—a place that drew international attention in 2005 for abominable living conditions—serves as a microcosm of the obstacles First Nations face when the catch-22s of Indian Act provisions stunt economic development and condemn successive generations to despair and suicide rates that are among the highest in the world. Shimo (coauthor of Up Ghost River: A Chief’s Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History), no stranger to these issues, barely contains a palpable anger, as each injustice she witnesses firsthand becomes the springboard for a deeper exploration of the social, historical, and political roots of a reality that encompasses annual flood-induced evacuations, mold-encrusted housing, astronomical food prices, and a war-zone atmosphere that leaves her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Her work can be painful to read, but, like other literature on reconciliation, it’s a necessary contribution to addressing age-old wrongs. Agents: Chris Casuccio and John Pearce, Westwood Creative Artists.