this child was given up. The name Mia is also related to her former pregnancy. Also, the novel ends with Tecumseh's mother carefully trimming a bouquet of purple freesias "until there is nothing left but the stems" (266), but the narrator never learns who gave them to her. Characters in Truth and Bright Water Tecumseh, 15 years old; protagonist and first person narrator. Lum, Tecumseh's cousin. Helen, Tecumseh's mother; beautician with dreams of moving to a big city to become an actress; plays the role of the Queen in the political satire Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs put on by a community theater group. Elvin, Tecumseh's father, carpenter. Auntie Cassie, sister of Tecumseh's mother. Tecumseh's grandmother, a wise old woman. Monroe Swimmer, Indian artist who has made money and came back to the reservation to "save himself". He felt that he has not yet accomplished anything, but really he is the richest man in Truth & Bright Water Franklin, Lum's abusive father and Elvin's brother, a tribal leader. Rebecca Neugin, an 8-year-old Cherokee girl from Georgia on her way to Oklahoma with her family; she's a ghost from the past, a historical character who died on the Cherokee Trail of Tears in the nineteenth century. Mia, another ghostly character, whose identity is never clearly revealed; Tecumseh's mother, grandmother and aunt Cassie know who she is, but the narrator never finds out; there are strong indications (e.g. Cassie's tattoo AIM - MIA), that she is Cassie's lost or abandoned daughter. Soldier, Tecumseh's curious dog, who although is a silent character in the novel he plays a large role in plot development. Major themes Cousins in literature Coming of age Dogs in literature U.S. - Canadian relations Crossing boundaries Appearance vs reality Disappearing and reappearing Repatriation of Indian culture Loss Separation Family Associational Literature Literary significance & criticism Stephanie Zacharek in her review of Truth and Bright Water the New York Times comments on the way in which the novel deals with Native - non-Native relations saying that “racial identity issues that seem to be bubbling just below the surface.“ To Zacharek, Soldier ”emerges as the most memorable character in the book“ and regards the density of the book's symbolism "almost stifling." Footnotes References Andrews, Jennifer. "Border Trickery and Dog Bones: A Conversation with Thomas King." Studies in Canadian Literature 24.2 (1999): 161-85. Hirsch, Bud. "'Stay Calm, Be Brave, Wait for