Brian Thomas Isaac says the follow-up to his award-winning debut novel mirrors his own life

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 01, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 1

It's the summertime of 1968 and 16-year-old Lewis Toma is spending the summertime with his cousins portion his ma picks effect successful the United States.

It's a summertime of firsts — surviving successful a location with much modern conveniences, similar a blistery shower, and drinking brew and eating greasy chickenhearted portion listening to stone 'n' rotation music. 

This each happens 2 years aft Lewis's member disappeared. 

That's the concern in Syilx writer Brian Thomas Isaac's caller book, Bones of a Giant, the sequel to his award-winning debut caller All the Quiet Places.

Bones of a Giant mirrors his life, Isaac told CBC's Radio West host Sarah Penton. 

Growing up connected the Okanagan Indian Reserve, helium said helium and his parent and grandma were isolated. 

"There was cipher up there. Nobody. We lived successful a location with fundamentally the full satellite to ourselves. It was lonely, but past we got utilized to it."

LISTEN | Brian Thomas Isaac connected his latest novel, Bones of a Giant: 

When helium had to permission his location and spell to schoolhouse for the archetypal time, helium was terrified. 

"It's similar going to Mars to me, you know? I didn't cognize what to expect and it was scary."

He near schoolhouse successful Grade 8, due to the fact that Isaac said helium couldn't instrumentality the racism, and became a labourer. 

At 18, Isaac near his location successful B.C. for bluish Alberta to enactment successful the lipid spot for 2 years. He returned to his assemblage with a bully caller car, but missed the wealth helium was making up north, truthful near again.

When it didn't enactment out, helium returned backmost to the Okanagan.

He was a bricklayer for galore years earlier helium became a writer — astatine property 70.

"When I was truly young, I wrote a batch of poetry," Isaac said. 

While moving connected fixing up a location helium and his woman had bought, helium sat down and helium started writing. Before helium knew it, helium had the makings of a novel. 

"I didn't cognize however to write," helium said. "I read for 2 years the champion books I could get my hands on, and it benignant of came done me, you know, similar osmosis and past I finished the book. I got a large editor. She was conscionable amazing, taught maine truthful much."

Isaac describes his archetypal publication arsenic "cleansing," but said Bones of a Giant was overmuch much amusive to write. 

"Friday nights my woman and I would, successful the aged days, we'd work small abbreviated stories to each different for fun," helium said. "Now, we beryllium astir and I work my week's enactment and we person large laughs and discussions. She's astonishing to bounce ideas off."

In his writing, his volition is to amusement that First Nations radical are conscionable that — people. 

"We each person pains and we each person tears," Isaac said. "I truly wanted radical to acquisition what it's similar to locomotion close beside someone, to locomotion them done the full book."

Bones of a Giant is disposable connected bookstore and room shelves now.