 First edition | |
| Author | Michelle Good |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Kyla Garcia |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Canadian residential schools |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Set in | 1960sVancouver |
| Published | April 14, 2020 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback), Audio |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781443459198 |
Five Little Indians is thedebut novel byCreeCanadian writerMichelle Good, published in 2020 byHarper Perennial.[1] The novel focuses on five survivors of theCanadian Indian residential school system, struggling to rebuild their lives inVancouver,British Columbia after the end of their time in the residential schools.[2] It also explores the love and strength that can emerge after trauma.[3]
The book received a number of awards, and wasCBC's number one book in 2021.[4] It was selected for and won the 2022 edition ofCanada Reads, nominated byChristian Allaire,Ojibwe author andVogue Fashion Editor.[5]
Although the novel is predominantly fictional, some of its stories were based on real experiences of Good's mother and grandmother, who were survivors of the residential school system.[1] Growing up, her mother talked about the traumatic histories and experiences of attending St. Barnabas Residential School in Onion Lake, Saskatchewan.[6] These discussions influenced Good's work.[7] The novel's development took more than a decade, beginning in 2011 when Good was a fine arts graduate student at theUniversity of British Columbia.[8] As part of the writing process, Good relied on psychological assessments of children who experienced physical and sexual abuse in order to accurately depict these events' long-term impacts on a person's life.[9]
Five Little Indians wasCBC's number one book recommendation in 2021.[4] The book also received positive reviews from theToronto Star,[10]Vancouver Sun,[11] andApple Books.[12]
Amnesty International Book Club selectedFive Little Indians for their book club in 2021.
Now namedFive Little Indians one of the top ten novels of 2020.[13]The Globe and Mail,[14]CBC,[15]Kobo,[16] andIndigo[17] also named the book in their lists of the best books of the year.
The novel was selected for the 2022 edition ofCanada Reads, where it was defended byChristian Allaire.[18] It won the competition on March 31.[19]
| Year | Award | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Governor General's Awards | English-language fiction | Won | [20][21] |
| HarperCollins/UBC Best New Fiction Prize | — | Won | [22] | |
| Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize | — | Shortlisted | [23] | |
| Scotiabank Giller Prize | — | Longlisted | [24][25] | |
| 2021 | Amazon.ca First Novel Award | — | Won | [26] |
| Amnesty International Book Club | Reader's Choice | Selection | [27] | |
| BC and Yukon Book Prize | Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize | Shortlisted | [28] | |
| Jim Deva Prize | Shortlisted | [29] | ||
| City of Vancouver Book Award | — | Won | [30] | |
| Forest of Reading Evergreen Award | — | Won | [31] | |
| Indigenous Voices Award | Published Prose in English: Fiction | Shortlisted | [32] | |
| Kobo Emerging Writer Prize | Fiction | Won | [33][34] | |
| 2022 | Canada Reads | Written Book | Won | [18] |
Five Little Indians has been optioned by Prospero Pictures for development as a limited television series.Shannon Masters, a screenwriter ofCreeMétis andUkrainian descent, will serve as writer and show runner alongsideMartin Katz and Karen Wookey, who will serve as executive producers.[35]
Good has expressed hopes that the adaptation will make the story accessible to a broader range of people.[35]
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