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Traplines
First published 1996 · 261 pages
A dark, unflinching collection of stories exploring the heavy burdens of family legacy and community trauma.
What it feels like
This collection of short stories offers a steady, unflinching exploration of dark family legacies and harsh community realities. The mood is heavy and deeply unsettling, anchoring the reader in the anxious headspace of young women grappling with the sins of their elders. Whether confronting the terrifying possibility of inherited violence or observing the gritty, painful struggles of life on a reservation, the narrative voice remains starkly observant. The prose does not shy away from the bleakness of its subjects, delivering a raw, unvarnished look at generational trauma and survival. It is a compelling read for those who gravitate toward gritty, character-driven fiction that stares directly into the shadows of human behavior and complex family dynamics.
- Mood
- unsettling
- heavy
- anxious
- bleak
- Tone
- unflinching
- dark
- observant
- gritty
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- generational trauma · family dysfunction · dark legacies · community struggles · coming-of-age
- The writing
- Direct and unvarnished, capturing the raw realities of family trauma and community life without looking away.
- The arc
- Moves through deep anxiety about inherited darkness toward a stark, unflinching confrontation with harsh realities.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate gritty, character-driven short stories that tackle dark family legacies and harsh social realities head-on.
Content notes
- serial murder
- alcoholism
- sex work
- family trauma
About the book
Stories by a woman writer from Canada. In Seven and Counting, a young woman copes with her mother's history as a serial killer, afraid she may have inherited the killer genes, while Queen of the North is on life in an Indian reservation through the eyes of a girl, appalled by the drinking and whoring.
Description from Open Library.
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