I used to be the type of person who could only read one thing at a time. No cacaphony of narrative voice – give the author the due respect they deserve! But as a Lit major, solitary focus on one novel is a luxury you just cannot afford. I tried to revert back to my monogamous reading style, but evidently I’m averse to commitment. I tell myself it’s okay: this scattered, read-all-the-things approach means I’m always surrounded by books.
I just finished reading Tanya Tagaq’s Split Tooth. What an incredible read – experimental, yet evocative of traditional mythology and Indigenous creationist tales. It isn’t very often that you read something that feels like it is breaking ground in terms of form and style. The story offers a raw and unflinching glimpse into life in Nunavut, and there were several times my heart broke in two for the young female narrator, or I had to put the book down. The definition of a haunting tale.
