Why we chose Thomas King’s Indians on Vacation

Dad’s church book club was reading Indians on Vacation, but he wasn’t able to attend the book club discussion. So, he suggested we pick up the book for Family Reads. I had previously read a couple Thomas King books (Green Grass, Running Water and Inconvenient Indian). But that was quite some time ago, and I was curious to read something newer by King.

Meet Bird and Mimi in this brilliant new novel from one of Canada’s foremost authors. Inspired by a handful of old postcards sent by Uncle Leroy nearly a hundred years earlier, Bird and Mimi attempt to trace Mimi’s long-lost uncle and the family medicine bundle he took with him to Europe.

By turns witty, sly and poignant, this is the unforgettable tale of one couple’s holiday trip to Europe, where their wanderings through its famous capitals reveal a complicated history, both personal and political.

Goodreads

Our Discussion 💬

***Discussion best enjoyed if you have already read the book – spoilers ahead!***

Travelling for the Crow Bundle

Bird and Mimi searching for Mimi’s family’s missing crow bundle is the overarching premise of the story. I had to ask after I finished reading – did they ever intentionally look for the bundle while they were in Prague? I recalled that Mimi made a couple of comments like “We could check at this museum” but I couldn’t recall if they actually went anywhere intentionally for that purpose. Uncle Leroy’s story (apparently being blackmailed into a European travelling circus, sending postcards home from wherever he went) was quite curious but really not the focus. We discussed that perhaps looking for the crow bundle was a metaphor of sorts. It was the rationale they used to travel the world. Perhaps they want to travel and see the world but also want to stay connected to their roots. So they use ‘looking for the bundle’ as motivation for going around Europe.

I should clarify that it was really Mimi who wanted to travel. Bird grumbles often about being pulled away from home. There’s some tension about their home life in Ontario, with Bird longing to move to the west coast.

Humour

Dad started reading this book before I did. I asked him if it was funny. His answer: “Kind of???” I had asked because of my past experience with King’s writing. By the time Dad finished the book, he decided that yes, it is a story with lots of funny moments. The humour exits in a real life, down to earth way. There’s a good amount of that dry humour which you may have encountered in other stories about a depressed old man. It’s not an uncommon perspective in pop fiction these days. Actually, now that we’re discussing this topic… isn’t Bird a bit like the last guy we read about, John Alexander MacNeil? Those guys would probably get along. They may be a touch curmudgeonly at times but they’re both decent.

Plotting

We both found the story held our curiosity as to where the plot was headed. But it was very much a slice of life story. You dip into Bird and Mimi’s life on vacation. We disussed how there isn’t much of a conclusion. We both had a reaction of, “That’s it? I stop reading here?” We weren’t totally sure what the resolution was, or ‘lesson learned’, as one might say. We followed along on their vacation (albeit with a lot of backfill) and then we parted ways. The story hints at some deeper themes (such as when Bird and Mimi encounter refugees at a train station, or when Bird reveals his depression comes in part from feeling like he can’t make a meaningful difference in the lives of his people), but doesn’t seem to ever fully explore those. Perhaps that is intentional – you go on vacation, and you don’t fully grapple with the deeper struggles around you because you aren’t sure you can actually help.

Real or Imaginary?

Throughout the story, Bird interacts with what you might think of as imaginary friends. Bird identifies them as his demons, which have been personified by Mimi naming them, representing aspects such as depression, self-loathing, ego. Seemingly unrelated to these imaginary friends is Oz, a man who Bird frequently meets at the hotel breakfast and who Mimi never interacts with. Dad asked if I thought Oz was another imaginary friend. I hadn’t thought of that while reading! Dad pointed out Oz could be another manifestation of Bird’s feelings, given his unusual manner and that he never meets Mimi. Bird wasn’t exactly happy about Mimi naming his demons, but they seemed to become a useful tool for him to identify his problems. Perhaps Oz was another manifestation like that. Why wouldn’t Mimi ever meet him? But then, Oz also gives Bird a watch, which made Dad think Oz must be a real person (Mimi sees the watch later on). I agreed that Oz sort of fits in alongside the other ‘demons’, in terms of his chracterization and role in the story. We wondered why Oz would be so interested in Bird – another point possibly in favour of the imaginary argument. But then where would the watch have come from? Who knows! Whether real or imaginary, we agreed that Oz felt like one of Bird’s imaginary friends because he was giving Bird guidance and direction. While the imaginary friends are often a distraction to Bird, perhaps Oz was a better manifestation. Or maybe he was just an ordinary human.

Assorted Notes

Dad observed Bird frequently introduces present-day passages with “So we’re in Prague.” The narrative switches back and forth between past trips that Bird and Mimi have taken and their present trip in Prague. This cue phrase wasn’t used every time (someone else can write some literary analysis on what that means lol), but it was helpful to keep us on track with what was happening when.

This was Dad’s first Thomas King read. He has a few other King books on his TBR: A Matter Of Malice (Dreadful Water #4), Sufferance and Inconveient Indian. I have The Truth About Stories on my TBR.

We both give this book ★★★½. It didn’t quite meet our expectations, but it was a solid read – not too serious, but still containing a few thought-provoking nuggets. Recommended for readers who enjoy slice of life stories.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Interview @ Cloud Lake Literary
🍂 Related: My review of Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water, earlier this year Dad and I discussed Jessica Johns’ Bad Cree .

What is one city you would like to visit in retirement?