The Evolution of Alice - 2nd Edition by David A Robertson (Paperback)

About the Book

Alice is a single mother raising her daughters on the rez where she grew up. Life has never been easy, but she's managed to get by. When an unthinkable loss occurs, Alice is forced to confront truths that will challenge her belief in herself and the world she thought she knew.

Reissued with a new story and a foreword by Shelagh Rogers.

Book Synopsis

Alice is a single mother raising her three young daughters on the rez where she grew up. Life has never been easy, but she's managed to get by with the support of her best friend, Gideon, and her family. When an unthinkable loss occurs, Alice is forced to confront truths that will challenge her belief in herself and the world she thought she knew.

Peopled with unforgettable characters and told from multiple points of view, this is a novel where spirits are alive, forgiveness is possible, and love is the only thing that matters.

Reissued with a new story by David A. Robertson and foreword by Shelagh Rogers.

Review Quotes

I felt I was holding my breath as I read, because of the great sorrow, mysteries, wisdom, and love in this book. Beautifully written, and such memorable characters!-- "Dora Dueck"

Pulsing at the heart of this novel are the warmly rendered inflections of storytelling voices like Gideon's, at once reflective, vivid, and vernacular. And at the novel's core, the broken but ultimately healing rhythms of Alice's 'evolution'--her cycles of loving and suffering, of her family's living, dying, and ultimately hoping to live anew -- bring contemporary experience on the reservation and in the big city achingly, joyfully, and always pungently alive.-- "Neil Besner, Professor, The University of Winnipeg"

So many Manitobans have, like a character in an early chapter, only sped by reserves on the highway. Inviting us into a rich community of characters, which stretches deeper than the headlines most of us associate with reserve life, Robertson is doing a service to everyone who calls Manitoba home. And crafting an engaging story of one family's recovery from loss--at a time when Indigenous peoples are increasingly flexing political, economic and cultural muscle in this country--is a gift for everyone hoping for a better future for our divided country...-- "Matthew TenBruggencate, CTV Winnipeg"

Robertson writes feelingly of casual cruelties and everyday kindnesses. The novel follows... overlapping, sometimes unexpected connections of family and community, but it is held together by Robertson's own voice, which is immediate, unflinching, and emotionally generous.--Alison Gillmor "Winnipeg Free Press"

About the Author

David A. Robertson (he, him, his) is an award-winning writer. His books include When We Were Alone (winner Governor General's Literary Award), Will I See? (winner Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Award), Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story (listed In The Margins), and the YA trilogy The Reckoner (winner Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction, McNally Robinson Best Book for Young People). David educates as well as entertains through his writings about Indigenous peoples in Canada, reflecting their cultures, histories, communities, as well as illuminating many contemporary issues. David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation. He lives in Winnipeg.