An Indigo Best Book of the Year

"A compelling novel, honest and compassionate, haunted by the past. Towards the end of the book, I tried to slow down, not wanting the story to end, but it wasn’t possible."
—Mary Lawson, bestselling author of A Town Called Solace

"Brian Thomas Isaac reinforces his place as one of Canada’s most engaging novelists with the tender troubling coming-of-age story of Lewis, a 16-year-old growing up on the Okanagan Reserve. He’s a boy who sees and feels everything with intensity—the joy of swimming in a river, the cruelty of a racist neighbour, the complexity of his mother’s love, the sensations of his first deep kiss, the injustices of the Indian Act, which keeps turning his family’s life upside down. I couldn’t put Bones of a Giant down, wondering to the end if Lewis is just too sweet and vulnerable for the mean world around him."
—Carol Off, award-winning author of At a Loss for Words

"Bones of a Giant has good bones. Isaac is a masterful storyteller with an observant eye for nature and a deep compassion for his characters. I loved this book."
—Thomas Wharton, bestselling author of The Book of Rain

"A clear-eyed love story to both a people and a place. Brian Thomas Isaac is a vital voice."
—David Bergen, award-winning author of Here the Dark

"Bones of a Giant accomplishes everything a great sequel should: powerfully carrying forth the spirit of the first story in compelling new ways while never compromising the heart of its characters. I developed such an affinity with this family and community that the sequel felt like a tremendous gift. With this novel, Brian Thomas Isaac has generously created both a refuge for and celebration of Indigenous resilience."
—Waubgeshig Rice, bestselling author of Moon of the Turning Leaves

"Brian Thomas Isaac is one of the most authentic voices among Indigenous authors in Canada. In Bones of a Giant, he spins a complex yet navigable tale that opens a window onto a time of struggle, privation and an undying determination to survive and thrive despite the powerful forces of colonialism that pressed for an opposite result."
—Michelle Good, award-winning author of Five Little Indians

"There’s a peaceful rhythm to Bones of a Giant, and a languid quality to the writing which speaks to the pace of bygone life on Okanagan Indian Reserve. But like the river that runs through the region, there are depths to this story that showcase the consequences of racism, misogyny, and colonialism. Thomas Isaac doesn’t shy away from this harsh reality, yet treats his characters with a tenderness and respect that emphasizes their resilience."
—The BC Review

"Isaac writes about courage, resilience and survival in the face of racism, poverty and the antiquated tentacles of the nineteenth-century Indian Act. But one also encounters warmth, humanity and humour in his pages—and, perhaps most significantly, a celebration of family."
—National Post

"Told with direct, spare prose, this coming-of-age tale is affecting and resonant."
—Toronto Star

"It’s not necessary to read Isaac’s earlier book to appreciate Bones of a Giant, but after reading it you’ll want to. Isaac delivers with a calm, laid-back voice, one we can trust. It’s a voice that emerges from the land, the territory you encounter upcountry in this province. Honest in the bone, it unfolds with the mastery of a wise, seasoned storyteller that your gut tells you has seen some bad stuff—an elder who knows that without deep, structural change, there’ll be more."
—BC Book World

"Isaac writes about courage, resilience and survival in the face of racism, poverty and the antiquated tentacles of the nineteenth-century Indian Act. But one also encounters warmth, humanity and humour in his pages—and, perhaps most significantly, a celebration of family."
—National Post

"Bones of a Giant is restrained and quietly optimistic. . . . [It forces] the reader to confront the systemic conditions that make hope improbable. . . . [And it] remind[s] us that Indigenous youth are not failed heroes but survivors of a world still struggling to make room for them—and in their survival, there is a profound, hard-won grace."
—Literary Review of Canada