Monkey Beach Themes

With its focus on the death of three of the most important people in Lisa’s life—Uncle Mick, Ma-ma-oo, and Jimmy—Monkey Beach is, fundamentally, a story about making sense of loss. Lisa’s one-time therapist, Doris Jenkins, suggests in their one session that Lisa’s dreams about the little man are her (flawed) attempts to deal with death. Lisa does indeed struggle mightily with her losses, initially fighting them and trying…

Growing up on an isolated part of the British Columbian coastline in her indigenous community, Monkey Beach protagonist Lisa lives in a world full of monsters and mythical creatures, including messengers from the spirit world like the little man, shapeshifters, ogres, sasquatches, and giants. The mythical beasts in Lisa’s spiritual realm teach her important life lessons. The little man reminds her about the inevitability of loss and suffering, and he also reminds her to…

Growing up as an indigenous girl in Canada, Lisa yearns to be a warrior like her Uncle Mick, who put his body on the line for indigenous rights with A.I.M. and has the scars to prove it. As members of the Haisla community, a history of abuse and terrorism at the hands of white supremacy and imperialist ambitions marks their lives. Mick’s experience attending a residential school inspired him to join the A.I.M., but…

Lisa grows up in a large, tightknit extended family; when there’s a wedding, almost everyone goes is related to either the bride or the groom. Lisa’s earliest friends are her cousins; later, she joins a click formed by Frank and his cousins, Pooch and Cheese. Family relations in this book can be complicated and messy. Lisa loves her parents but bristles under their expectations; Aunt Trudy neglects her daughter Tab; and physical and sexual…