Thank you to House of Anansi Press, Inc., Netgallery, and Chyana Marie Sage for an ARC of this memoir to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Chyana Marie Sage's memoir is one unlike I have ever read before. Sage braids together equal parts cultural knowledge, poetry, and personal experience to construct this unique memoir. Chyana shares the heartache of growing up with her father, Frank, who was not only a drug dealer, but also sexually abused her older sister. In her memoir, she exposes some of her deepest pains and thoughts about this experience and relates it to the intergenerational traumas caused by colonialism, namely residential boarding schools. While Sage's story is one of intergenerational trauma, it is most importantly a testament to intergenerational strength, resilience, and courage.

Overall: Sage has a gift for writing that is evident from the very first page. What I loved most about this memoir is that it is raw and honest, yet hopeful. It is an honest look at healing and how that is never linear. And I appreciated the poetic component of this memoir; the structure is different from others that I have read but in the best way possible. I highlighted so many beautiful, poignant quotes that I cannot wait to go back to.

If you read one memoir this year, read SOFT AS BONES! This will be the book that I recommend for years and years to come.

Rating: 5/5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Notable Quote: "Who is the groundwater? Who is the cloud? Who is the rain? Who are we all, if not dew?"

Read this if you enjoyed: Heavy by Kiese Laymon

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First line: "Astamispihk- Before That Time, Before Then and Now..."

Summary (spoiler free): Sage weaves personal memory, family interviews, poetry, and recountings of Cree folklore/spiritual beliefs to create a unique and emphatic memoir detailing her childhood with a dangerous and abusive father. She documents her early attempts to heal from her childhood traumas, whether it be self-harm, self-medicating, or falling into toxic relationships mirroring the ones she witnessed in her formative years. But this is ultimately a memoir about hope, following Sage as she finds more constructive means of processing these traumas via writing, embracing Cree cultural/spiritual customs, and rekindling relationships with her mother, sisters, and female elders to build a more complete view of her- and their- collective story as Indigenous women fighting for safety and comfort in the world.

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Soft as Bones is a difficult but engrossing memoir that took me a bit longer than usual to get through due to the heaviness of the subject matter. This was felt not just because the topics are dark in of themselves but because so many of Sage's experiences and observations mirrored my own childhood experiences. It is simultaneously edifying and cathartic but also discomforting to have these experiences recounted, so hyper-specific to Sage but also strangely relatable in their emotional honesty and impact.

Calling this a memoir doesn't do it justice. It is memoir, ethnography, history lesson, folklore, and poetry wrapped into one intricate package as Sage attempts to piece together the cultural, historical, spiritual, and interpersonal to explain her experiences.

One of my favorite elements of this memoir is the framing device of introducing each new section or idea with a Cree linguistic term that best describes the emotion or symbolism that Sage wishes to convey. Not only does this show an intimate look into Sage's methods of processing her own thoughts and emotions through the subtleties of Indigenous language, but it also serves as a cultural touchstone throughout the book.

Sage's tragedy is processed via the story about Little Warrior and the witiko. Her healing is reflected in story of the Beautiful Woman suffering from grief. The Cree language, folklore, and spiritual practices appear again and again as a source of grounding, understanding, and empathy in a chaotic childhood and adolescence, creating a wholly unique experience.

Sage’s memoir is so much more than just the story of the author’s life; through a brutally raw, honest examination of her own childhood and beautifully poetic reflection, we find out the traumatic details of Sage’s life growing up and how it impacted her family. While reading I felt as though Sage was next to me, telling me her story. There were many points throughout the book where I had to pause reading, take a moment to cry, and take a break but I kept coming back because as heavy as the book is, it’s also empowering and inspiring.

The most heartbreaking part is that her story is not unique. Missing, murdered indigenous women in Canada is a crisis largely being ignored. Sage’s memoir shines a light on the violence and how it can manifest generationally, noting that not everyone may be ready to share these stories, but they exist. A powerful, beautifully poetic memoir I’d definitely recommend. I received an ARC copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.