A Grandmother Begins the Story is a powerful and unique novel that tells the story of one fractured Métis family through a chorus of voices. We meet five generations of women, including voices coming through from the afterlife: Carter, Allie, Lucie, Geneviève, Velma and Mamé, with whom our story begins. Alongside their stories runs the story of a bison herd on the move, also on a journey; the key bison we meet also trying to find their place and understand those who went before them. We even find a few other surprising voices thrown in along the way for good measure. 

Told in short alternating chapters, vignettes even, these women are tough as nails from their circumstances and the stories they have lived,  flawed but also full of humour, vulnerability, hard-earned wisdom, and a fierce, hard kind of love. These are women who have suffered abandonment, loss, trauma, the violence of men and addiction; but they are also women who have loved, who have fought, and who have created new life to carry on the stories, both old and new ones. 

There is so much baggage between these women, who are grandmothers, daughters, sisters, granddaughters and, as the novel unfolds, they get to confront each other, to thrash out their differences, their grievances, say their piece, discover new truths. As some navigate the challenges of life on earth, others are on the move or making their mark in the afterlife. 

Storytelling, and the power of stories, is at the heart of this novel; stories teach, they comfort, they bind, they build on legacy, they empower, they carve a way forward and stretch a link back to those who went before us. Also key is the theme of motherhood and mother-child bonds; bonds that can be bent to breaking point but never quite broken. 

I loved everything about this book. Yes there is a lot going on but it’s all bound by the belief in the interconnectedness of things; all part of this rich tapestry where Porter draws deeply from Métis culture and tradition, and also explores wider themes including the importance of language and the deep link to land. It’s a book that’s brimming with imagination, with life, with the power of music and performance, with an earthy spirituality, with a fierce feminine force, and with raw humanity. Highly recommend for anyone who’s looking for something a little bit unique, a whole lot beautiful. 

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A Grandmother Begins the Story was published in 2023 by Algonquin Books.

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Michelle Porter (she/her) is a writer and scholar from the Métis homeland and living in Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a descendent of the Métis Goulet family from the Manitoba Red River, and the author of the memoirs Approaching Fire and Scratching River. A Grandmother Begins the Story is her first novel. Her first book of poetry, Inquiries, was shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for Best Book of Poetry, Canada 2019. She teaches creative writing at Memorial University in Newfoundland.