Globe and Mail review of Grey Eyes

Frank Christopher Busch wrote Grey Eyes, his debut novel, in response to what he heard repeatedly in his interviews with indigenous survivors of Canada’s residential schools: “I just want my culture back.” His story opens with the rare birth of a Grey-Eyed boy in the Nehiyawak village of Nisichawayasihk (situated in what is today Northern Manitoba). The Nehiyawak celebrate the birth, as a person with grey eyes will possess Grey-Eyed magic and will protect the village from the sinister Red-Eyes. The prose style is plain and simple and one wonders about the historical accuracy of the dialogue, but neither of these is a great drawback in what is at once an intricate portrait of pre-contact life and a suspenseful page-turner that builds towards a dramatic and moving finish. As a novel it is a success – one that may benefit, and certainly entertain, indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians both.

— Globe and Mail, Sept. 12, 2014

Back

Login

Don’t know your password? We can help you reset it.

Are you a student?

Answer a few questions to get a special discount code only available to students.

Your Cart

There is nothing in your cart. Go find some books!