#thelesserblessed

The Lesser Blessed (2012) dir. by Anita Doron

Sorry this isn't a picture of my own copy, but it's back home :/ If this Reviewsday Tuesday thing goes on forever (I really hope it does) everyone will get to hear me rant about a bunch of books that are better known (Handmaid's Tale, American Gods, etc) but I thought I would start with something not many people seem to know about. This is 'the Lesser Blessed' by Richard Van Camp. This book was turned into a little indie flick with Kiowa Gordon (one of the wolves from the 'Twilight' series), but I didn't bother seeing it--my feelings towards this book are so complete and personal and based in the experience of reading it and processing it myself, I honestly didn't care to see a different version.  To sum it up, it's about a young First Nation teenager Larry living in the Northwest Territories in Canada, dealing with his personal demons and exploring his relationship with two people in particular, Johnny Beck (new kid who becomes his best friend) and Juliet Hope (object of Larry's infatuation, briefly Johnny's girlfriend, has a bad reputation). I know it doesn't sound like a great premise ('Freaking Northwest Territories?? Land of perpetual darkness and moose?') but don't be deterred. It's raw in the most beautiful way (never will I forget the line '...I loved her seven dreams deep'), it's not very long, and it just feels so honest it may very well break your heart. In the hands of a lesser writer this could've been boring or a misery fest but it's neither, ever (because of the reasons listed).  Here's to Reviewsday Tuesday, may it last forever.

So happy my dress hit the red carpet at Toronto International Film Festival. The amazing writer Richard Van Camp's novel The Lesser Blessed adapted to film :) His sweetheart is wearing a dress I designed!