Initial Impressions of The Marrow Thieves

When I began reading my literature circle novel, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, I knew that the basic premise involved a futuristic world in which Indigenous children were being taken to residential schools again in Canada. What I was not expecting was to immediately be engaged in a high stakes and terrifying post-apocalyptic story in which I cared so deeply about the characters.

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The Marrow Thieves begins with Frenchie (Francis) and his brother Mitch hiding out in a treehouse to escape "the Recruiters," (4) agents from the Government of Canada responsible for finding and detaining children and taking them for bone marrow extraction to help cure a plague impacting non-Indigenous people across the world. Damage from climate change has decimated the earth and sent climate refugees scrambling to survive but, more insidiously, non-Indigenous people are no longer able to dream. 

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Frenchie is obviously remorseful of what happens to his brother (who sacrifices himself), but I was struck by how cold, scared and vulnerable he is. For example, just before he is discovered by the rest of the group, it states:
"I was stumbling. Another night asleep in the open. This time I didn't have enough strength to rebuild the fire that had been rained out while I fitfully slept. My muscles ached, my belly rumbled, my hear hurt. I'd tripped over an aboveground root bent like an arthritic finger and picked up a limp...I fell asleep biting a piece of shoelace, leaning against the pine trunk, wishing Mom would find me" (12). 
What I found particularly heartbreaking about this is that he is suffering so immensely but he is a just a child who, ultimately, wants him mom to come and protect him even though it is obvious to the reader that she won't be returning.

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This reminds me of other examples of children being taken from their parents, or separated as they flee from war or chaos, trying to survive. For example in the United States, numerous unaccompanied minors arrive across the American/Mexican border from South American countries where there is civil war, poverty and dangerous conditions. The government of the United States, under the direction of President Donald Trump, is placing these children in detention centres without basic access to medical care, food, or care. 

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I think many of these children must feel as lost, scared and desperate for their mothers as Frenchie is in the beginning of The Marrow Thieves.  It makes me think about how important my family is to me, and how lost I would have been as a child if I did not have my parents to care for me and make me feel safe. I am very fortunate as a person born in Canada to a family who was able to provide for me that I do not have to experience any of the horrible conditions and circumstances of these refugee children. I believe more people should donate money to organizations that help these children to get legal representation and that the government of the United States is responsible for their care and should be in trouble for not providing it.