Tilly and the Crazy Eights

by Monique Gray Smith

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Tilly and the Crazy Eights is a sweetly sentimental and kindly written road-trip/bucket list novel by Monique Gray Smith. Released in 2020 by Second Story Press, it's 230 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

Although this is a very simply written book and many of the plot turns were foreshadowed heavily, I was surprised by how much heart and honesty it had and how appealing the characters were. Although the writing is simple enough to be a YA novel, the subject matter isn't, there's a lot of distressing background in the narrative including substance abuse, loss of a child, trauma from the residential schools most of the elders were forced to endure, illness, racism, and death. There's also a lot of hope and positive role models, mutual affection and support, learning and respecting traditional culture, and a metric ton of personal growth.

The story is told from several points of view. The voices weren't all very distinct to me, and I did have to go back to double-check which character was which sometimes. The chapters are clearly marked with whichever character's voice is being written. This was especially problematic for me with the audiobook version, since the voices for the female characters weren't differentiated at all to my ear. The audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 24 minutes and is read by Michelle Thrush.

The language is clean, and there's no on-page sexual content. There is also a positively portrayed LGBTQ+ character who is loyal, likeable, honest, and kind. There are a number of positive portrayals of indigenous people and culture in the book (it's the central theme) alongside some honest hard truths about colonizer culture and the detrimental impact on indigenous culture.

This would likely make a good selection for public library, book clubs, or reading groups. Uplifting and wholesome, if a bit choppy along the way.

Three and a half stars for book, three stars for the audiobook version.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.