Fire Song

%E2%80%9CNo one tells you how much you can hurt and still look normal on the outside,%E2%80%9D says Shane, an 18-year-old Anishinaabe living in Canada. The rundown reservation that he calls home is at once comforting, isolating, and stifling. Shane%E2%80%99s younger sister Destiny%E2%80%99s recent suicide has prompted him to navigate his own jagged emotions. As his mother falls apart emotionally, the bright spots in Shane%E2%80%99s life become his secret boyfriend, David, and the thought of escaping to Toronto for college. But David doesn%E2%80%99t want to leave the reservation, and Shane%E2%80%99s lack of funds leads him to deal drugs. Jones%E2%80%99s striking and remarkable novel, adapted from his feature film of the same name, is tensely narrated and includes some chapters featuring Shane%E2%80%99s public girlfriend Tara%E2%80%99s diary entries and poetry. Tara doesn%E2%80%99t know that Shane is gay and loves him, which adds another layer of sadness and complication to the lyrical story. Jones%E2%80%99s intensely personal account about letting go to move forward is replete with immersive imagery of nature and bathed in darkness. Ages 14%E2%80%9318. (Mar.)