Sisters in the Wind

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. This story is a companion novel to Firekeeper’s Daughter, bringing back the character of Daunis Fontaine. If you’ve read Boulley’s previous work, how did Daunis’s role here change your perspective on her character? For new readers, how effective was her introduction as a central figure in Lucy’s life?

2. What did you think of the novel’s pacing as a thriller? How did the elements of suspense, like the diner bombing and the threats against Lucy, balance with the deeper character study of her trauma and recovery?

3. What aspect of the novel resonated with you most strongly after finishing it? Was it Lucy’s personal journey of survival, the critique of the foster care system, or the cultural teachings shared by characters like Abe and Daunis?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Jamie introduces the metaphor of the “onion” for Indigenous families, with protective layers surrounding a child at the core, contrasting it with the “peas in a pod” model. How did this metaphor affect your thinking about different family structures? How do you define family in your own life?

2. Lucy uses cleaning as a coping mechanism to impose order on a chaotic world. What are some of the ways you’ve seen people, including yourself, create a sense of control or safety when feeling overwhelmed?

3. Daunis tells Lucy, “It’s complicated. Loving imperfect people” (166). Do you agree with this statement? How do you find a balance in loving imperfect people in your life?

4. Lucy’s definition of home changes through the novel at different stages in her journey? How do you define home, and was there a time in your life that you felt as though your definition evolved?

5. The novel features several mentors, including the nurturing Miss Lonnie, the wise Abe Charlevoix, and the protective Daunis. What mentors have you had in your life, and how did they help you grow in different ways?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What was your awareness of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) before reading this book? How did the story’s portrayal of systemic failures, such as the social worker advising Lucy to hide her heritage, shape your understanding of the law’s importance for tribal sovereignty?

2. The novel vividly depicts predatory environments like the Sterling household and Hoppy Farm operating within the foster care system. How does this story contribute to a larger conversation about the responsibilities and potential failures of child welfare institutions today?

3. How does the novel illustrate the concept of generational trauma? In what ways does this historical context help you understand the motivations and struggles of characters through ancestral patterns?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The narrative alternates between Lucy’s present in 2009 and chronological flashbacks to her past. How did this non-linear structure impact your reading experience and your understanding of Lucy’s hypervigilant behavior?

2. Paying close attention to language use, demonstrate how Boulley embeds and develops fire as a motif.

3.How does the author use Devery and Daunis as character foils? What do their contrasting forms of “sisterhood” reveal about the different paths to survival for young women who have experienced trauma?

4. Luke’s Seiko watch and Jamie’s dual-faced watch are significant symbols. What do these timepieces represent at different points in the story, and how does the final exchange of watches in the epilogue symbolize Lucy’s new sense of identity and legacy?

5. Lucy’s internal monologue reveals a worldview of “predator and prey.” How does her character arc challenge or reinforce this view by the novel’s end? Does she escape this mindset, or does she learn to use it differently to protect her new family?

6. Angeline Boulley often sets scenes in places that seem idyllic, like Miss Lonnie’s cabin or the hammock grove at Hoppy Farm, only to reveal the danger they contain. How does this use of setting create a sense of unease and subvert expectations about what constitutes a safe place?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Lucy receives the Spirit name Gaagaagi Noodin Kwe, or Raven Air Woman, connecting her to Jamie’s legacy. What Spirit name might you choose for another character who is on a path of healing, like Stacy Sterling, and what would it signify about her journey?

2. Jamie and Lucy are both passionate about the ICWA, and Jamie even hopes to write a book about his experiences working with it. What social justice initiatives are you passionate about or involved in, and how would you transform that passion and experiences into an expressive form?

3. Lucy’s father gives her books every birthday as a child, each one acting as a stepping stone that teaches her important lessons about life. Curate a list of books to give a child during their first 12 years. What books would you include, and what lessons would you hope that child receives from them?

4. Abe and Daunis offer Lucy several important Anishinaabe teachings that help her heal and connect with her family and culture. What teachings or stories do you have in your life that connect you with family and culture, and how might you tell those stories to the next generation?