Bad Cree
- indigenoustutoring
- Jun 15
- 2 min read
Title: Bad Cree
Author: Jessica Johns
Length: 304 pages
Content warnings: death, grief, loss, body horror, gore, cannibalism, violence, animal harm, historical/inter-generational trauma, discussions of substance abuse.
Bad Cree is a debut novel by Cree author Jessica Johns. The novel follows Mackenzie, a Cree millennial dealing with grief and haunting dreams of her late sister. After she continually brings back physical items from her dreams, things in her life spiral. Mackenzie realises she may not be able to deal with all this on her own, and travels back to her home she had left years prior. This book explores themes of grief, personal loss, generational trauma, familial reconnection, and much more, making it one for more mature readers.
Bad Cree is described as a gripping debut, with elements of supernatural horror. If you’re into the creepy, suspenseful, and evocative nature of horror but also love reading about relationships and family dynamics, this is the one for you! This novel is as beautiful as it is scary, as heart-warming as it is chilling. It will hook you in from the first sentence and keep you captivated all throughout.
My personal favourite part was the prevalent theme of matriarchy all throughout the book— I loved seeing strong women as the leaders in this novel, and Mackenzie’s relationship with her family was lovely to read.
An interesting aspect is that the chapter titles in this novel are written in Cree, and there are no provided translations, emphasising the theme of cultural connection in the book. If you happen to listen to the audiobook, you can hear the chapter titles being narrated!
Bad Cree was published in 2023 by HarperCollins and won the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, the ALA Alex Award, the MacEwan Book of the Year award, and was selected for the 2024 CBC Canada Reads.
To learn more about Jessica Johns, check out her website: Jessica Johns Website
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Author: Jasmeet Deol, ITMP Blog Writer
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