Review of INDIANS ON VACATION by Thomas King

 3.5 Stars

Bird Mavrias and his partner Mimi are in Prague.  The two take in the typical tourist sites which Mimi is eager to see though Bird is less engaged.  Between descriptions of their days in the Czech capital, Bird flashes back to previous travels in Europe and North America.  Interspersed are observations of life from an Indigenous perspective and commentary on social issues like immigration and systemic racism.

Bird struggles with inner demons which Mimi has named so they’ve become travel companions: Eugene illustrates Bird’s self-loathing; Kitty catastrophizes and illustrates how Bird often expects the worst to happen; Didi and Desi represent  Bird’s depression and despair; and Chip is the proverbial chip on Bird’s shoulder.  These personifications accompany Bird wherever he goes and wonderfully illuminate Bird’s mental state. 

Mimi and Bird are a wonderfully realistic couple.  Being in their golden years, they’ve spent much of their lives together.  In many ways, they are opposites.  Bird is the reluctant traveller who prefers not to leave his comfort zone while Mimi loves to explore the world.  They know each other well and make allowances for their differences.  Their relationship is not perfect, as some flashbacks reveal, but it is underpinned by genuine love and affection. 

The travellers take a day trip to Budapest where they come across Syrian refugees in the main train station.  What they see puts a pall over their visit to Hungary because they can’t think of what to do to help.  Mimi suggests picking up some pastries to give to the migrants!  Throughout the novel, there is repeated reference to there being so much injustice in the world and a lack of action to resolve serious issues. 

There is a lot of King’s typically wry humour but the serious outweighs the comic touches.  Aging has brought Bird a number of health concerns.  Discussions of Indian agents and subjects like residential schools and the Sixties Scoop emphasize the tragedy of the Indigenous experience and the existence of systemic racism.  One reason for Bird’s melancholy is that he doesn’t believe his writing as a journalist has brought about positive change. 

Like tourist wanderings, the book at times seems aimless.  It is not.  It entertains while educating and commenting on social issues that remain unresolved.  Perhaps we need to stop acting like tourists and take concrete action to address these issues.