Sisters in the Wind

Boulley (Warrior Girl Unearthed) delivers a propulsive mystery thriller anchored by an unforgettable protagonist and urgent commentary on both the foster care system and Indigenous child welfare. Toggling between a present-day narrative set in 2006 Michigan and flashbacks to a childhood navigating foster care, the novel follows 18-year-old Lucy. When Potawatomi former FBI attorney Jamie approaches Lucy during her diner shift, claiming to help reconnect people with their Indigenous heritage, she rejects his offer. But after she’s injured in a suspicious pipe bomb explosion while trying to leave town, she’s forced to rely on Jamie and his friend Daunis during her recovery. Through them, Lucy learns that she is of Ojibwe descent, has relatives living on a reservation, and once had a half sister who died in a tragedy that haunts Jamie and Daunis. More pressing, though, is Lucy’s reasoning for wanting to escape Michigan in the first place: someone wants her dead. As Lucy grapples with challenges surrounding sexual violence, death, and racism, Boulley utilizes unflinching prose rich with cultural specificity to reveal the protagonist’s harrowing past. It’s a devastating yet gripping tale of finding family, recontextualizing faith, and reclaiming ancestry that serves as a searing critique of the ways that systems can fail vulnerable youth. Anishinaabemowin is woven throughout. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)