Indians on Vacation: A Novel

by Thomas King

Hardcover, 2020

Status

Available

Call number

FIC KIN

Call number

FIC KIN

Description

"Meet Bird and Mimi. The brilliant new novel from one of Canada's foremost authors. Inspired by a handful of old postcards, sent by Uncle Lenny nearly a hundred years before, Bird and Mimi attempt to trace the steps of Mimi's long-lost uncle and the family medicine bundle he took with him to Europe. By turns witty, sly and poignant, this is the unforgettable tale of one couple's holiday trip to Prague. The often grumpy Bird and optimistic Mimi and their wanderings through the European capitals reveal a complicated history, both personal and political."--

Publication

HarperCollins Publishers (2020), 304 pages

Original language

English

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This is the fourth book by Thomas King that I have read this year. I didn't set out to make 2020 the year of Thomas King but it is serendipity that it has. All of the books have been great but I think this one is the best.

Bird (full name Blackbird) Mavrias and his wife Mimi have travelled from
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their home in Guelph to Prague following in the footsteps of Mimi's Uncle Leroy. Bird is Cherokee and Greek from the USA (much like Thomas King is himself) but Mimi is a member of the Blackfoot tribe from Alberta. Her Uncle Leroy was given the choice of joining a circus travelling around Europe or going to jail by the Indian agent on the reserve. I'll leave the reason for this for new readers to find out but it is one of the comedic high spots of the book. Uncle Leroy took the family medicine bundle with him and he never returned it or came back himself. He did send postcards from various places in Europe so Mimi came up with the plan to travel to those places to see if they can find out what happened to Uncle Leroy and perhaps reclaim the bundle. Prague is actually the last place that Uncle Leroy sent a card from so they are at the end of their quest.

Bird has been plagued by various medical conditions and he gave up his work as a renowned journalist. Mostly he is depressed and anxious which he tries to avoid thinking about. Mimi, on the other hand, thinks Bird should confront them and she has given his demons names: Eugene is the main demon (self-loathing), Kitty (catastrophozing), Didi (depression), Desi (despair), Chip (for the "big you-know-what on your shoulder). Now that they have names Bird visualizes them and so they accompany him as he wanders through Prague. Mimi is a painter and she doesn't take guff from anyone, especially not Bird. however, at one point Bird and Mimi take the train to Budapest but when they get there the train station is full of Syrian refugees and their situation bothers even the ebullient Mimi.

King's sense of humour is shown at its best here but he also deals with the pressing issues of the day like climate change and reconciliation and refugees. I can't quite believe that this book didn't make the Giller shortlist this year. I hope that whichever book wins the prize this year is better than the 2019 winner because otherwise I might stop believing in the value of the Giller prize for Canadian literature.
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LibraryThing member bhowell
This book has to be the "funnest" read of 2020.
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Rollicking short stories in each chapter of this travelogue that were amusing with a touch of King's acerbic irony. I appreciate seeing life from an Indigenous viewpoint along with Tom's wry commentary on social issues. It's actually quite an introspective narrative with a global perspective.
LibraryThing member LynnB
I couldn't really identify with any of the characters, and that made it difficult for me to care about them. But what I really did love was the message about the way stories and memories intertwine over time to make "truth"....that stories are what we need them to be.
LibraryThing member fionaanne
I really enjoyed The Inconvenient Indian but this failed to engage my interest at all.
LibraryThing member nhlsecord
Tom King's talent for writing with sarcasm and humour shows in this book, yet the trip seemed like an unpleasant experience and not much fun to read about.
LibraryThing member Neil_Luvs_Books
This is an excellent book. Thomas King weaves a story of a couple of indigenous descent vacationing in Prague with stories of the protagonist’s upbringing and development as an adult mixed in with commentary about the treatment of indigenous peoples, refugees, and our own personal demons. All
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with a wry wit. Very enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member MickyFine
Bird and Mimi are on vacation in Prague, the latest in a series of trips retracing the journey of Mimi's Uncle Leroy, an ancestor who was forced off the reserve by the Indian agent in the early 1900s, joined a Wild West Show, and left the country with the family medicine bundle, sending back only
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postcards from his journey. As Mimi and Bird visit the sights in Prague, the reader also learns more about them through Bird's flashbacks to other trips, their first meeting, and other events through their storied life together.

A really beautiful and occasionally funny novel that reflects the hodge podge nature of life and travel. Bird and Mimi's trip to Prague will feel familiar to anyone who's traveled - trying to see everything, trying and failing at not being too touristy, and the strange positions you find yourself in as a stranger in a new country. Bird is also grappling with his own emotional demons and physical ailments, which makes travelling less of a joy. King's personification of Bird's demons is a particular delight of the novel. Interspersed with their current trip to Prague, we also get glimpses into Bird and Mimi's life together and the challenges they've faced as a couple. In addition there are brief hints that they are also both grappling with the accumulation of wrongs both they and their ancestors have faced as First Nations people and for which there are no easy solutions. Highly recommended.
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ISBN

1443460540 / 9781443460545
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