A lovely dramatic fiction novel based on real people and their eventful lives.
“She was played out in spirit and body, but steeled herself for another difficult day.” Many difficult days, in fact. Newly widowed and with a baby on the way, Mary Johnnie, a First Nations woman living in the stark Yukon territory, must think with her head instead of her grieving heart. The wilderness may have sustained her life, but in exchange, it has taken everything she loves. Thus, Mary sets off for her childhood village in need of a new start, a new life. But time has not stood still in her old home, Moosehide. A once thriving village is slowly declining. Many traditions remain, but the residents who have stayed must find new ways to sustain themselves. Eventually, Mary settles into a complicated relationship with an outsider. Romeo Poulin has suffered his share of difficulties as a white man living in a rugged landscape far from his home. If he and Mary hope to find happiness and contentment, they will have to learn about each other’s customs and cultures, all while dealing with public opinion and the inevitable change brought about in the name of progress. Life won’t be easy for this couple, and this essential story provides a vivid example of just what it was like to live in the Yukon some 100 years ago.
What begins as a tale of heartbreak, anguish and uncertainty slowly transforms into a story about resilience and determination in this steely volume of A Klondike Gold Miner’s Life, Mary’s Heart: A First Nation Woman in Dawson. With traditional medicines, historically accurate tools and building materials, and homespun clothing in abundance, readers will feel as though they are trekking beside Mary and Romeo as they forge a life in Dawson. Cultural norms are exposed and examined as these historical characters work through the tumultuous 1930s, bridging the gap between the lives of First Nations people and the white men who changed everything. The regional parlance reveals just a few of the struggles faced by these intrepid men and women, but their story divulges many routine hardships including infant mortality, common illnesses, prejudices, and the elements. Mary’s Heart is an education in First Nations people and their neighbors relayed in the form of a lovely dramatic fiction novel based on real people and their eventful lives.
