Throwaway People

by Mallory Eaglewood

Birdie’s world is forever changed when she discovers the lifeless body of a fisherman on a Scottish beach. This tragic event brings back haunting memories of her older brother’s mysterious disappearance from her family when she was just eleven years old. Birdie was told to forget him, and eventually she did—until that day on the beach when she knew that she must return to her Native roots, to find her brother Gerald. Birdie’s quest takes her from the Scottish Highlands, where she has found love and family, to her British Columbia hometown to seek the truth about her brother and her ancestral history. As a Métis woman, she must grapple with her Indigenous heritage, a legacy she’s been raised to conceal, and mend the fragments of their family. However, to achieve that goal, she must risk everything to navigate a challenging path of racism, betrayal, and her own guilt. Her exploration of a painful past leads her into the path of an old murder, a wrongful conviction, and a relentless murderer intent on burying his crimes at any cost. While Birdie navigates her way through a labyrinth of secrets, the inconvenient truths of the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous people emerge. Her pursuit of the truth becomes a transformative odyssey, both for her lost family and for herself. As Birdie confronts her fears, she uncovers answers—about family, reconciliation, and love.

372 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2024

About the author

This is Mallory Eaglewood’s fifth published work, following Hummingbirds, The Good Life, Pink Pistachios, and Oiseaux-Mouches. In many ways, she can relate to Birdie, this story’s protagonist, having spent most of her own life struggling to understand the human drive to connect with one another, and exploring the subtle complexities of what makes humans do what they do.
Winner of an Author of the Year award from the Province Newspaper―for an article about the absurdity of war, member of Federation of BC Writers for many years, Mallory has had a career in teaching literature, working as Head Teacher and Course Programmer.
Additionally, Mallory’s life is full of fascinating experiences, from being an officer in the Canadian Military, a meditation mentor in a Buddhist Abbey, and dealing with a gunman in the Syrian desert and a couple of sharks at 30 feet below the surface, off the coast of Bali, checking to see if she were lunch. Along the way, she has lived and worked in Scotland, England, and Greece.
This grandmother of three is presently a full-time writer from her home base, a small red cabin in the woods, situated on a sparsely populated little island off the coast of British Columbia.
Mallory’s Motto:
Do not go gentle into that good night, (but) …Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas

Reviews

[Pat Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Author Mallory Eaglewood, for writing “Throwaway People”. This poignant study of cultural misconceptions and the damage prejudice does is an important book to read. Throughout this story, Ms. Eaglewood skillfully interweaves these universal human issues with the difficulty of negotiating personal relationships. The people “thrown away” in this story range from entire cultures and generations of Indigenous People to individual children in the care of others who deemed them unworthy. So many cultures, so many individuals, it is as if no one has been spared. Ms. Eaglewood’s mastery of the written word and compassion for others comes through in this study of human nature.

In this story, the main character, Birdie, learns much about family, friends, and acquaintances, secrets, lies, and poor treatment of others. As readers, we are drawn into her own deep-seated, often suppressed emotions, while watching the mysteries of a murder and of lost relatives unfold. Through these experiences, Birdie also learns more about her own ways of thinking, loving, and forgiving.

Birdie’s growing pride in her mixed heritage and her contributions to illuminating injustice are well conveyed. Emotions, personality traits, and character flaws are realistic and well developed. I also enjoyed the bits of humor sprinkled throughout the story. For example, the “worst coffee on the planet” made me chuckle.

I thank author Mallory Eaglewood for her illumination of how we all look back on broken connections with family and friends and regret the actions we did not take. If you are young enough to have opportunities to not let this happen to you, please embrace this lesson found within the storyline of “Throwaway People”. Too many of us don’t realize what we missed until too late. — Pat Spencer, author of Story of a Stolen Girl and A Baker’s Dozen For Writers.

[Eroca Dancer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throwaway People by Mallory Eaglewood (Friesen Press 2024) Paper-bound, 360 pages, $33.99.

Mallory Eaglewood’s prose sparkles. By turns a mystery, romance, coming of age and historical novel, Throwaway People is an exploration of the fallout from residential schools and the possibility of healing the circle.

As the story opens, Birdie finds a body on the beach near her home in Dhὰ Creagan, Scotland. The incident stirs up haunting memories of her brother who disappeared 45 years ago when she was 11. With the support and encouragement of her husband, Birdie embarks on a quest to British Columbia to find her lost brother.

Birdie’s mother was First Nations. When neighbours put signs on the lawn that said “squaw” and “savage” Birdie’s father told them she was Hungarian, a lie so she and the family could fit into society. But Birdie’s native looking brother was abandoned when he made a mistake and was sent to prison. As Birdie searches for what became of her brother, she comes face to face with the reality of racial prejudice, indigenous peoples dismissed as lesser than, wrongful conviction and a society that thinks nothing of throwing away people they’d rather not see.

In contrast, the memory of her courtship in Scotland unfolds a beautiful love story as Birdie searches for her roots in Canada.

In a riveting climax, Birdie faces a murderer from the past who will do anything to stop her discovering the truth in her quest to reunite what is left of her birth family.

The surprise, ironic, ending reinforces the power of acceptance and unconditional love.

Throwaway People addresses the importance of family as well as connection to all peoples. It is a redemptive novel with a warmth that stays with the reader long after the story ends. A true healing song.

Adding charm, Mallory includes her own beautiful illustrations and a glossary of Gaelic and Nokota words and phrases with English translations. Throwaway People—a must read!

Eroça Dancer
Writer

[Favour Creative · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THROWAWAY PEOPLE is a powerful and emotional story that blends mystery with a moving search for identity. Birdie’s journey through loss, resilience, and rediscovery is written with raw honesty and depth. The themes of family, racism, and belonging are handled with both courage and compassion. Mallory Eaglewood’s writing is vivid, pulling readers into Birdie’s world with ease. A beautifully told story that stays with you long after the final page.

[Mallory Eaglewood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm excited to share this. I had an interview last week and it is now available, A woman named Medyhne (Arise Humanity) from Australia, approached me about doing an interview and we had that last Thursday. She has spread it over dozens of platforms.


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