Firekeeper's Daughter

The setting is Sautl Ste. Marie in the UP of Michigan, but more specifically it is set in Anishinaabe people. We learn a lot about the Anishinaabe outlook on the world. That is a strength of the novel. It doesn't feel like we are on the outside looking in to this culture. It feels like Daunis is bringing us into the culture, so we see it from the inside.
Daunis is biracial and her difficult family history has a significant impact on the way many people treat her. However, there are also plenty of people that accept he for who she is. So there are side characters that I love and side characters that I hated. Many of these side characters are round characters. We see different sides of them.
The mystery is solved, but I hesitate to say there is justice. When there is so much pain, it is hard for a jail sentence to ‘make it better.' There are also multiple crimes and not everyone is charged with all of the crimes that they should be. However, the tribe does their best to bring acceptance even if justice is out of reach. This lack of justice mixed with love and acceptance makes the ending powerful. It will stick with me for a while.