Soft as Bones
A Memoir
In her gritty yet lyrical memoir Soft as Bones, Chyana Marie Sage confronts generational trauma.
Sage, who is of Cree, Metis, and Salish heritage, was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Her earliest memories are happy ones of running wild with her sisters on her family’s land. She adored her father, Frank, a charismatic but ill-tempered drug dealer who taught her traditional stories. Later, she learned that Frank held a gun to her mother’s head when Sage was still in the womb.
Frank was in and out of jail for various offenses. Her mother remained a loyal, steady presence for her three daughters. When Frank’s sexual molestation of Sage’s older half-sister, Orleane, came to light, however, the family was torn asunder. Sage sought release in drugs, alcohol, and self-mutilation, but she also learned to express herself in poems and stories. As an adult, she struggled to form meaningful relationships with men. Through determination, smudged sage, and the help of therapy, she plotted her success and found salvation in writing.
Told in a pastiche of styles and tones and pieced together with intention, the book intersperses childhood memories with poetry, letters, Indigenous legends, and extracts from interviews with Sage’s family members. The language is sometimes colloquial, and various Cree words for the movement of water serve as thematic signposts throughout. The frequent use of anaphora evokes tribal chants.
In addition to her personal experiences, Sage considers the history of residential schools where native children were sent to learn white ways. The practice of taking Indigenous children from their birth families and placing them with foster parents who were often abusive is covered, too, as is ongoing violence against Indigenous women. These parts form a cohesive, compelling whole.
Soft as Bones is a startling, powerful memoir about surviving family trauma and First Nations perseverance.
Reviewed by
Suzanne Kamata
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
