River Child

Susan Kemp is a high-school teacher in Kingston, Ontario.

Eleanor Miller was elected to the Yukon Territories Legislative Assembly
and served as Minister of Education for four years. No longer a
politician, she lives in Carcross on the Yukon–British Columbia
border.

River Child is a collection of interconnected short stories set in the
isolated, self-enclosed community where the book’s heroine, Selena
MacLean, grew up. The vignettes of inbred, small-town life are detailed
and authentic and contrast sharply with the beauty of the town’s
surroundings. The characters are drawn with a sure hand, and the
book’s more serious themes are leavened with touches of Northern
humor. Especially impressive are the descriptions of the two distinct
Yukon cultures—Indian and white—and Selena’s efforts to find a
place for herself within the dual solitudes. Miller also provides
glimpses of Dawson City’s history, using them as a metaphor to explore
how we keep redefining the past in order to make the present more
tolerable. Highly recommended.