Maxwell's Reviews > Keeper'n Me

Heavily inspired by Richard Wagamese's own life, his debut novel Keeper'n Me tells the story of a young Anishinaabe man who was taken from his family at three years old and raised in the city. Twenty years later he is finally reunited with his blood relatives and begins to learn what it means to live a Native life (with a lot of similar themes/messages as Wagemese's memoir One Native Life).

I always enjoy Wagamese's writing. While I think this might be the most straightforward and simple of his stories, as a debut it captured a lot of what Wagamese would go on to keep writing about: identity, connection with nature, the importance of family, Native traditions, hockey/sports, and ceremony. He's also at his best when describing the landscape. I'm always enthralled when Wagamese spends time setting the scene, pulling the reader into the natural world with his characters. Their discovery feels like the reader's discovery too and it's a pleasure to read about.

While this might not be my go-to recommendation for Wagamese's work (I still think Indian Horse is one of the best books I've ever read), it's quite a moving debut novel that hints at his early fascination with storytelling and its role in his life and the lives of his characters.