A young woman from Montreal follows the geese to the Inuit North in this deeply felt witnessing of contemporary northern life, as shaped by decades of colonial rule and government neglect. Having worked in the North for years, Juliana Léveillé-Trudel’s novel offers a portrait of a people undaunted by institutionalized racism, but in many cases broken by domestic violence, and corrupted by corporate mining and the presence of summer workers from the South in search of big paycheques.

Delivered across two searing monologues, Nirliit is a testament to a people’s perseverance as much as it is an apology by those who inflicted those circumstances upon them. Léveillé-Trudel transcends the borders between historical divisions to make a meaningful individual connection.

Juliana Léveillé-Trudel co-authored with Andrew Katz the first installment of Julia’s adventures, How to Catch a Bear Who Loves to Read (2018). She is also a novelist (Nirliit, La Peuplade, 2015), a playwright, and a founder of the Productions de Brousse. Her work has been translated into English, Spanish, Icelandic, Danish, and Basque. She splits her time between Montreal and the Quebec countryside of her childhood, surrounded by forests, animals, and books.

Juliana Léveillé-Trudel's profile page

Anita Anand is the author of Swing in the House and Other Stories, winner of the 2015 QWF/Concordia University First Book Award.

Anita Anand's profile page