Sister to the Wolf

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

This adventure-filled historical romance set in New France spans the
period from September 1702 to February 1704, and most of the action
takes place near Fort Detroit.

Cécile Chesne, 15, has recently returned with her father, Robert, a
former coureur de bois, to the town of Québec, after the pair had spent
the previous three years living in the forests among the local tribes.
When Robert agrees to work for the trading operation at the recently
established Fort Detroit, Cécile is keen to accompany her father so
that she can escape the strictures of “civilized” Québec. Before
leaving, the compassionate Cécile impulsively purchases Lesharo, a pani
(slave) who is about 17 years old and a member of the Pawnee tribe (the
People of the Wolf). Despite Cécile’s immediately giving Lesharo his
freedom, he elects to remain with Cécile and her father. Over time, he
becomes the third person in a romantic triangle—one complicated by a
clash of cultures—involving him, Cécile, and a 25-year-old Lieutenant
Edmond Saint-Germain, a member of Fort Detroit’s garrison.

To underline the book’s New France setting, Trottier incorporates
numerous French words, and, for example, always refers to the indigenous
peoples as “indiens.” In virtually every chapter, additional
insights into Cécile’s character are provided via extracts from her
journal. Although the story is fictional, a “Notes” section
indicates that two of the family surnames linked to Fort Detroit are
branches of the author’s maternal family tree. A pair of opening maps
assist readers in locating the book’s action. Highly recommended.