Birdie is not an easy read, an unexpected fact, considering the woman who penned it, Tracey Lindberg, is a lawyer and professor by trade. The difficulty in reading the novel comes not only from its harrowing subject matter but also from the way the story is told. It’s non-linear and jumps back and forth from the present to the past. At the start of each chapter are poems, which often transform characters into animals, such as Bernice Meetos/Birdie who longs to return to the tree, Pimatisewin. The story doesn’t entirely belong to Bernice however, as the chapters tell the story of Beatrice from the voice of five different women- her cousin, aunt, mother, landlord and herself. Bernice has a special relationship with her aunt Val and cousin Skinny Freda, in particular, who are often referred to as her sistercousin and motheraunt to reflect that bond. Another important way Lindberg sets herself apart from other authors is by using terms like the sistercousin frequently alongside other terms Lindberg creates to fit her narrative, regardless of conventional rules of writing. The novel is Cree, through and through and Lindberg does not shy away from that. Her method of storytelling is dignified, sarcastic and unapologetically against the norm.
Birdie starts with Bernice in Gibsons, BC, fulfilling her teenage dream of living near Pat John, an Indigenous man who was on one of her favourite TV shows and she had fixated on for years. Bernice works in a bakery, which she also lives