Title: Outcasts of River Falls
Author: Jacqueline Guest
Publisher: Coteau Books
Age Range: Children (9+)
Time Period: 1901
Location: River Falls, Alberta
“Kathryn grew up in a well-to-do home in Toronto. But after her father’s death she has to move to Alberta – to live with an aunt she’s never met. She thinks she’s going to another comfortable home, but soon discovers that Aunt Belle lives in a shack in the small community of River Falls.
Her father never told her about the hard struggles of her Metis relations. She begins to learn about them from Aunt Belle.
A mysterious highwayman appears. The local official want to get rid of him, but he seems to be looking after the people of River Falls – like Robin Hood.
When someone tries to frame the Highway man for a crime, Aunt Belle tries to get involved. Is she placing herself in more danger than she can handle? And will Kathryn be able to help?”
Despite being a sequel to another book by author Jacqueline Guest, this story is able to be a stand-alone read. The storyline was pretty predictable (I figured out who the highway man was almost right away), but it still was interesting to read.
The main character of Kathryn was raised in an upper-class school in Ontario before her father died – and watching her horror at the discovery that her father had hidden his Metis heritage and what that meant for her new life in Alberta was interesting to see unravel. Although her plans include becoming one of the first female laywers in Canada, I did find this character somewhat shallow and self-centred.
Each chapter is titled in a fairy-tale like fashion, which was kind of interesting how they related to the story itself.
I loved that the author used the opportunity to showcase the difference between the European and the Metis communities, mostly in socio-economics. She also introduces some of the symbolic Metis traditions, such a red sashes and a mixture of French and Cree languages.
Author Jacqueline Guest is a Metis herself – and last year, won a prestigious Indspire Award for the Arts, which awards one Indigenous professional for their outstanding career achievement. To date, she has written 17 books – 4 of which are historical fiction.
Although this book publisher is no longer in business, you could look for their books at your local library or second hand.
Note: The premise of this book is based around the mystery of a man who steals from someone else to give to someone in need, murder, mystery, and a teen girl who thinks about boys/love all the time. There are two characters that are rather aggressive by nature, and a few times when the main character and her Aunt are in rather dangerous situations while cornered by one character.
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