A subversive novel by acclaimed Cree author Darrel J. McLeod, infused with the contradictory triumph and pain of finding conventional success in a world that feels alien.

James, a talented and conflicted Cree man from a tiny settlement in Northern Alberta, has settled into a comfortable middle-class life in Kitsilano, a trendy neighbourhood of Vancouver. He is living the life he had once dreamed of—travel, a charming circle of sophisticated friends, a promising career and a loving relationship with a caring man—but he chafes at being assimilated into mainstream society, removed from his people and culture.

The untimely death of James’s mother, his only link to his extended family and community, propels him into a quest to reconnect with his roots. He secures a job as a principal in a remote northern Dakelh community but quickly learns that life there isn’t the fix he’d hoped it would be: His encounters with poverty, cultural disruption and abuse conjure ghosts from his past that drive him toward self-destruction. During the single year he spends in northern BC, James takes solace in the richness of the Dakelh culture—the indomitable spirit of the people, and the splendour of nature—all the while fighting to keep his dark side from destroying his life.

Darrel J. McLeod is Cree from Treaty-8 territory in Northern Alberta. Before deciding to pursue writing, he worked as an educator, chief negotiator of land claims for the federal government and executive director of education and international affairs with the Assembly of First Nations. He holds degrees in French literature and education from the University of British Columbia. He is the author of two memoirs: the award-winning Mamaskatch (2018; winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction; shortlisted for many other major prizes; translated into French and German editions), followed by Peyakow (2021) which was also shortlisted for several literary prizes. He currently lives in Sooke, BC, and divides his time between writing and singing in a jazz band.

Darrel J. McLeod's profile page

• Winner, Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize

“It is a real gift for an author to offer his readers a novel that is both memorable and timely. A Season in Chezgh’un by Sooke’s Darrel McLeod is exactly such a gift, arriving at a period in our history when the multiple, raw issues surrounding Indigenous people of Canada in general, and British Columbia in particular, loom large in the public mind. When authenticity of voice is crucial, McLeod’s is rock solid … frank, intense, and rooted in the author’s own life … It is impossible to read A Season in Chezgh’un without feeling a privileged participant in an utterly authentic experience. ... Drawing on the deepest wells of purpose in the novel, the novelist ensures that the readers, like James, are left with a ‘magical, once in a lifetime soul-connection.’ ... a memorable novel.”

Theo Dombrowski, <i>The British Columbia Review</i>

“Jury members praised A Season in Chezgh’un by Darrel McLeod for its multidimensional characters and unflinching look at racism, both blatant and insidiously subtle, as experienced by a Cree school principal from Vancouver who accepts a position in a small Indigenous community. The novel succeeds in moving beyond the ‘white savior’ education narrative to show us the complexity of a queer, urban character grappling to establish his role and define his own identity within an unfamiliar place and culture. Darrel McLeod’s keen eye for both the personal and political enables him to tell a story about one place that is resonant with collective and national significance.”

Statement from the jury: BC and Yukon Book Prizes, October 2024

“In A Season in Chezgh'un, Darrel J. McLeod moves confidently from the world of memoir to the new territory of the novel.”

Michelle Good, author of <i>Five Little Indians</i>

“A Season in Chezgh’un is about the search for meaning and for love, about grappling with history and loss, about creating a future out of quiet daring. I love the elegance of languages and cultures intermingling in this story, Cree, Dene, Nehiyaw, French, Spanish. Beautifully crafted, this novel is alive with dialogue that takes us into the hearts of characters too often left voiceless. Let this book sweep you away.”

Kim Echlin, author of <i>Speak, Silence</i>

“MacLeod offers the reader a thought-provoking and immersive portrait of a remote Dakelh community and of James, the driven Indigiqueer educator who chooses to work there—a man who must struggle with structural injustices, conflicting demands, prejudice, and his own divided self. A deeply authentic novel, and one that is both educative and heartfelt.”

Kathy Page, author of <i>Alphabet</i> and <i>Dear Evelyn</i>