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Wild People Quiet: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26A taut, exquisitely rendered story exploring the repercussions of a woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity while living in a small, predominantly white prairie town in the 1940s, for readers of The Berry Pickers, Tommy Orange, and The Vanishing Half.
Torduvalle, Saskatchewan, 1946.
Florence has created a beautiful life for herself. Her home is immaculate; she is a model employee at Pratt’s Insurance, where she works as a secretary. Her hair is the perfect shade of movie-star blonde—never once does she allow her brown roots to show. She dyes them every Saturday night, without fail.
But one morning at the end of summer, everything changes.
Florence notices a new group of men at the local diner, Métis workers from out of town, hired on for the season at a nearby farm. And one of them has a connection to the past that Florence has spent her entire life outrunning. He has one simple request for her.
Suddenly, Florence is thrown back into memories of her life before. Suddenly, the line between who she once was and who she has chosen to be feels very thin.
And when Florence learns of the government’s plans for the Métis community on the fringes of town, she will be faced with a choice—one that will shatter her carefully constructed life forever.
This extraordinary novel asks us what we will do for our community, for our families, for our friends, even at our own expense. It examines the harrowing effects of choosing to live as someone else—and the radiant peace that comes from finally living one’s truth. Gripping, wrenching, and utterly immersive, Wild People Quiet is a stunning achievement by a remarkable literary talent.
Torduvalle, Saskatchewan, 1946.
Florence has created a beautiful life for herself. Her home is immaculate; she is a model employee at Pratt’s Insurance, where she works as a secretary. Her hair is the perfect shade of movie-star blonde—never once does she allow her brown roots to show. She dyes them every Saturday night, without fail.
But one morning at the end of summer, everything changes.
Florence notices a new group of men at the local diner, Métis workers from out of town, hired on for the season at a nearby farm. And one of them has a connection to the past that Florence has spent her entire life outrunning. He has one simple request for her.
Suddenly, Florence is thrown back into memories of her life before. Suddenly, the line between who she once was and who she has chosen to be feels very thin.
And when Florence learns of the government’s plans for the Métis community on the fringes of town, she will be faced with a choice—one that will shatter her carefully constructed life forever.
This extraordinary novel asks us what we will do for our community, for our families, for our friends, even at our own expense. It examines the harrowing effects of choosing to live as someone else—and the radiant peace that comes from finally living one’s truth. Gripping, wrenching, and utterly immersive, Wild People Quiet is a stunning achievement by a remarkable literary talent.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication March 3, 2026
897 people want to read
About the author
Tara Gereaux
4 books19 followersTara Gereaux’s debut novel, Saltus, was released in 2021. Her first book, a teen novella called Size of a Fist (Thistledown Press, 2015), was nominated for two 2016 Saskatchewan Book Awards. Her writing has been published in several literary magazines and has won awards, including the City of Regina Writing Award in 2016 and 2019.
After graduating with an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, Tara worked as a story editor and writer in film and television for ten years.
From the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan and of Métis and European heritage, Tara lived in Vancouver for nearly two decades before returning to her home on the prairie. She lives in Regina, SK.
After graduating with an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, Tara worked as a story editor and writer in film and television for ten years.
From the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan and of Métis and European heritage, Tara lived in Vancouver for nearly two decades before returning to her home on the prairie. She lives in Regina, SK.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 9, 2025
[Will post quote about Michif lives post publication]
A choice she makes in desperation to be free, Florence Campeau decides to become Florence Banks and slip out of her old life to become someone else.
For the past 11 years, Florence has been a secretary at Pratt’s Insurance and Real Estate in Torduvalle, Saskatchewan. She “blends in with everyone else”; nobody would know she’s one of ‘them’. Them, or half-breeds as the predominantly while Prairie community of 1940s Saskatchewan calls the Métis, are a mixed-race Indigenous people. They were not afforded the same respect or opportunities as European settlers.
Tara Gereaux, a Métis person and extremely talented author, has written this five-star story exploring the repercussions of one woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity. Gereaux’s narrative is focused, gentle, vivid, and methodical; the same approach you’d expect from someone skilled enough to be doing beadwork. Like Indigenous beadwork, the quiet narrative produces a noteworthy result. Will we Canadians sit up and pay attention?
I have taught Canadian history and understand the 1885 Northwest Resistance and the script system, but I had never heard of ‘Road Allowance People’, the NRTA of 1930, or ‘Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act of 1935’. Gereaux educated me. I read in horror at the heartbreaking suffering experienced due to poverty and racism. As a country, we have certainly failed in our responsibility to protect the Metis. Their history is full of dispossession and extinction. It didn’t need to be that way.
Things that gave me pause:
💔the author’s exploration of whether we can be two people at the same time or if we need to split, keeping two separate parts of ourselves
💔the realization that, in keeping something from someone, we actually are keeping something very important and valuable from ourselves.
💔despite the appalling situations forced upon these people, this Road Allowance community is rich in so many ways. I was in awe of the tight community that supported each other as they continued to struggle to keep their culture and way of life intact.
Gereaux brings to life the burden of living as someone else as she shares a little-known element of Metis history, culture and identity. The author’s focus is on resilience and resistance and the book packs a punch despite its soft delivery. It’s one historical fiction lovers and Canadians need on our reading lists ASAP.
I was gifted this copy by Simon & Schuster Canada and was under no obligation to provide a review.
A choice she makes in desperation to be free, Florence Campeau decides to become Florence Banks and slip out of her old life to become someone else.
For the past 11 years, Florence has been a secretary at Pratt’s Insurance and Real Estate in Torduvalle, Saskatchewan. She “blends in with everyone else”; nobody would know she’s one of ‘them’. Them, or half-breeds as the predominantly while Prairie community of 1940s Saskatchewan calls the Métis, are a mixed-race Indigenous people. They were not afforded the same respect or opportunities as European settlers.
Tara Gereaux, a Métis person and extremely talented author, has written this five-star story exploring the repercussions of one woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity. Gereaux’s narrative is focused, gentle, vivid, and methodical; the same approach you’d expect from someone skilled enough to be doing beadwork. Like Indigenous beadwork, the quiet narrative produces a noteworthy result. Will we Canadians sit up and pay attention?
I have taught Canadian history and understand the 1885 Northwest Resistance and the script system, but I had never heard of ‘Road Allowance People’, the NRTA of 1930, or ‘Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act of 1935’. Gereaux educated me. I read in horror at the heartbreaking suffering experienced due to poverty and racism. As a country, we have certainly failed in our responsibility to protect the Metis. Their history is full of dispossession and extinction. It didn’t need to be that way.
Things that gave me pause:
💔the author’s exploration of whether we can be two people at the same time or if we need to split, keeping two separate parts of ourselves
💔the realization that, in keeping something from someone, we actually are keeping something very important and valuable from ourselves.
💔despite the appalling situations forced upon these people, this Road Allowance community is rich in so many ways. I was in awe of the tight community that supported each other as they continued to struggle to keep their culture and way of life intact.
Gereaux brings to life the burden of living as someone else as she shares a little-known element of Metis history, culture and identity. The author’s focus is on resilience and resistance and the book packs a punch despite its soft delivery. It’s one historical fiction lovers and Canadians need on our reading lists ASAP.
I was gifted this copy by Simon & Schuster Canada and was under no obligation to provide a review.
January 26, 2026
This was a really compelling, well-written novel. It’s about a Métis woman in Saskatchewan in alternating timelines of 1946 and 1906-1913. The narrator, Florence, grows up in a Métis community as a kid but as an adult she passes as white and hides her heritage. I found the characters and relationships interesting and they will stay with me. I learned some history I didn’t know and want to continue that learning. I also really enjoyed the role that beadwork played in the story. This comes out in March and is well worth checking out!!
January 29, 2026
A beautiful and necessary novel about a shameful period in Canada’s history that is too often forgotten. I loved learning more about Métis history and was heartbroken by the rejection and oppression Métis people endured at the hands of white settlers. Sadly, much of this mistreatment still exists today.
Gereaux does an incredible job of revealing the collective memory of the Métis people through the unraveling of Florence’s carefully constructed life. Florence is hiding in plain sight, and her fear of being discovered as Indigenous is palpable. Acknowledging her heritage would mean giving up her career, her material comforts, and the relationships she had built over a lifetime. Reading this was enraging.
I especially loved how Gereaux uses beadwork as a metaphor for Florence’s life, with each stitch representing both beauty and pain. Now more than ever, we need books like these. Overall, this was a beautifully written and deeply evocative read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced reader’s copy.
November 23, 2025
Tara Gereaux’s Wild People, Quiet is a courageous and necessary novel; one that confronts a painful part of Canadian history too often pushed to the margins. Through its intimate storytelling, the book compels readers to reckon with the experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) peoples and the far-reaching consequences of government actions that were designed to erase cultures, families, and identities.
What makes Gereaux’s work especially powerful is its quiet insistence on truth. Rather than relying on grand historical exposition, she brings readers close to the emotional realities of the characters: individuals and families whose lives are marked by displacement, mistrust, and an enduring search for belonging. These stories, though fictionalized, are deeply rooted in lived experiences and community memory. They remind readers that the harms inflicted by colonial policies are not abstract historical events; they are wounds carried in bodies, relationships, and intergenerational narratives.
Gereaux writes with compassion, clarity, and restraint. Her prose allows space for the characters’ voices, which often echo the real stories of FNMI survivors who have spoken out about residential schools, forced relocations, and other forms of systemic oppression. This is one of the book’s greatest strengths: it encourages readers to listen and to sit with discomfort, to understand the weight of lived trauma, and to reflect on the role non-Indigenous Canadians have played, knowingly or not, in these injustices.
At the same time, Wild People, Quiet is not simply a catalogue of harm. It is a story of resilience, of communities that continue to resist, reclaim, and heal. Gereaux shows how culture, kinship, and identity persist despite centuries of attempts to quiet them. In doing so, she reframes FNMI histories not only as records of suffering, but as testimonies of strength.
Ultimately, Gereaux’s novel is a vital contribution to the growing body of literature that brings hidden histories to light. It challenges readers to confront truths that have long been overlooked, and it calls for meaningful reflection about accountability, reconciliation, and the responsibility each of us carries to truly hear the stories of FNMI peoples.
Wild People, Quiet is not an easy read, but it is an essential one. It offers the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the final page, urging readers to remember, to question, and to do better.
What makes Gereaux’s work especially powerful is its quiet insistence on truth. Rather than relying on grand historical exposition, she brings readers close to the emotional realities of the characters: individuals and families whose lives are marked by displacement, mistrust, and an enduring search for belonging. These stories, though fictionalized, are deeply rooted in lived experiences and community memory. They remind readers that the harms inflicted by colonial policies are not abstract historical events; they are wounds carried in bodies, relationships, and intergenerational narratives.
Gereaux writes with compassion, clarity, and restraint. Her prose allows space for the characters’ voices, which often echo the real stories of FNMI survivors who have spoken out about residential schools, forced relocations, and other forms of systemic oppression. This is one of the book’s greatest strengths: it encourages readers to listen and to sit with discomfort, to understand the weight of lived trauma, and to reflect on the role non-Indigenous Canadians have played, knowingly or not, in these injustices.
At the same time, Wild People, Quiet is not simply a catalogue of harm. It is a story of resilience, of communities that continue to resist, reclaim, and heal. Gereaux shows how culture, kinship, and identity persist despite centuries of attempts to quiet them. In doing so, she reframes FNMI histories not only as records of suffering, but as testimonies of strength.
Ultimately, Gereaux’s novel is a vital contribution to the growing body of literature that brings hidden histories to light. It challenges readers to confront truths that have long been overlooked, and it calls for meaningful reflection about accountability, reconciliation, and the responsibility each of us carries to truly hear the stories of FNMI peoples.
Wild People, Quiet is not an easy read, but it is an essential one. It offers the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the final page, urging readers to remember, to question, and to do better.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
‘I anticipate that he will have a good deal of trouble, and it will require considerable management to keep those wild people quiet.’ John A. Macdonald
This quote is where the title for this book came from and is a very apt title.
Although this novel is fiction, it is based on the true history of Métis in Saskatchewan. It is a sad and heavy read, but such an important one. Gereaux brings this history to life through the character of Florence, making it deeply personal and powerful.
The perspective of ‘passing’ as told from an Indigenous perspective, was especially compelling. Most stories I have read have focused on black Americans passing as white. This story is an exploration of what is lost and gained through that choice. The dual timeline really helps the reader understand this.
What I really loved was the resilience and resistance that the Métis community. The way they faced adversity together and supported each other through it all. As well, as the found family in an unexpected place
This book is another important one highlighting the truths of what has been inflicted on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is a story that encourages understanding and empathy.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes. It is thoughtfully written, historically important, and deeply heartfelt.
This quote is where the title for this book came from and is a very apt title.
Although this novel is fiction, it is based on the true history of Métis in Saskatchewan. It is a sad and heavy read, but such an important one. Gereaux brings this history to life through the character of Florence, making it deeply personal and powerful.
The perspective of ‘passing’ as told from an Indigenous perspective, was especially compelling. Most stories I have read have focused on black Americans passing as white. This story is an exploration of what is lost and gained through that choice. The dual timeline really helps the reader understand this.
What I really loved was the resilience and resistance that the Métis community. The way they faced adversity together and supported each other through it all. As well, as the found family in an unexpected place
This book is another important one highlighting the truths of what has been inflicted on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is a story that encourages understanding and empathy.
Would I recommend this novel? Yes. It is thoughtfully written, historically important, and deeply heartfelt.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wild People Quiet was an amazing read and I'm happy I stepped out from my typical genres to read it. Tara Gereaux seamlessly weaves together two timelines of our main protaganist, Florence, from the early 1900s and the 1940s to give us a glimpse into what it means to be Métis in Canada during those periods. I loved this book and it confronts the reader with difficult themes and history around racism and prejudice that unfortunately still ring true today. One of the biggest takeaways for me was around the dangers of being forced to whitewash culture (both figuratively and literally) and what we lose when it happens.
At the start, I wrongfully judged Florence as boring, but as we begin to peel back more layers I found her incredibly compelling and couldn't put the book down. While Florence doesn't always make the right choice, it was easy to understand her motivations and emphasize with her. It's hard to stay frustrated with someone when you see society forcing them between a rock and a hard place. All of the characters, both Florence and other side characters, really brought this novel to life and were so well written. I also found this book very educational and informative about both a culture and part of history that I was unaware of.
I will definitely be heavily recommending this book. Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!
At the start, I wrongfully judged Florence as boring, but as we begin to peel back more layers I found her incredibly compelling and couldn't put the book down. While Florence doesn't always make the right choice, it was easy to understand her motivations and emphasize with her. It's hard to stay frustrated with someone when you see society forcing them between a rock and a hard place. All of the characters, both Florence and other side characters, really brought this novel to life and were so well written. I also found this book very educational and informative about both a culture and part of history that I was unaware of.
I will definitely be heavily recommending this book. Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy!
Tara Gereaux writes the way that I imagine Florence’s beadwork looks. It’s colourful, delicate, and made with intention. You could tell that she put her heart in this story. I found myself getting lost in her writing. Gereaux’s prose paints truly vivid emotional landscapes.
Wild People Quiet is an intimate story about the choices people make and who they decide to be in a world that pressures them to hide. Florence’s struggle with identity is written so honestly that at times I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. There were times that I had to put the book down and walk away, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the story. Her story is going to stay with me for so long.
Going beyond the story, Gereaux gives us an important look into Métis history and the way the Indigenous people were and still are pushed to the margins of society. The novel shows the mistreatment of these communities by the government, and how survival for them often meant remaining silent. To loosely quote Gereaux, justice is not begging and if that is what you believe, then the oppression has succeeded. This book is not only a beautiful piece of literature, but a necessary one that I feel everyone should have on their shelf.
Tara Gereaux writes the way that I imagine Florence’s beadwork looks. It’s colourful, delicate, and made with intention. You could tell that she put her heart in this story. I found myself getting lost in her writing. Gereaux’s prose paints truly vivid emotional landscapes.
Wild People Quiet is an intimate story about the choices people make and who they decide to be in a world that pressures them to hide. Florence’s struggle with identity is written so honestly that at times I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. There were times that I had to put the book down and walk away, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the story. Her story is going to stay with me for so long.
Going beyond the story, Gereaux gives us an important look into Métis history and the way the Indigenous people were and still are pushed to the margins of society. The novel shows the mistreatment of these communities by the government, and how survival for them often meant remaining silent. To loosely quote Gereaux, justice is not begging and if that is what you believe, then the oppression has succeeded. This book is not only a beautiful piece of literature, but a necessary one that I feel everyone should have on their shelf.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received this book just this month, and while it may be the last novel I read in 2025, and I have a feeling it will be a key book for many in 2026. Written by a new Canadian author, this book is a compelling work of historical fiction that highlights an important part of Canadian history. 🇨🇦
Wild People Quiet, set in 1946 small town Saskatchewan, follows the story of Florence Banks. She has carefully built a quiet, respectable life while keeping everyone at a distance. When she unexpectedly recognizes someone from her past, the life she worked so hard to leave behind begins to resurface. 😔
The book offers an immersive look into the history and experiences of the Métis people in Saskatchewan. Thoughtful and emotionally resonant, the story is a reminder of the importance of living your truth, even when it comes at a cost. Definitely recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book publishes in March 2026 and I was provided a copy by the publisher.
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#tolovetoread #booksof2025 #metishistory
Wild People Quiet, set in 1946 small town Saskatchewan, follows the story of Florence Banks. She has carefully built a quiet, respectable life while keeping everyone at a distance. When she unexpectedly recognizes someone from her past, the life she worked so hard to leave behind begins to resurface. 😔
The book offers an immersive look into the history and experiences of the Métis people in Saskatchewan. Thoughtful and emotionally resonant, the story is a reminder of the importance of living your truth, even when it comes at a cost. Definitely recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book publishes in March 2026 and I was provided a copy by the publisher.
.
#tolovetoread #booksof2025 #metishistory
February 5, 2026
💕 How far would you go to fit in? Wild People Quiet is an introspection on identity. This story had me reflecting on a time in my own life where I found myself with a choice to make. Unlike Florence, hiding my obvious ethnicity was not an option, but circumstances of the time led to a conscious choice - to be proud or to be ashamed.
Florence Campeau never felt like she belonged in her Métis community. With her hair dyed and her name changed, she put that life behind her and began anew as a widowed blond named Florence Banks. She made a success of herself, albeit keeping people at arms length, least they discover her secret.
It’s 1946 now. Decades have gone by. And her past has collided with her present. This book begins rather slowly, showcasing Florence’s life in a small part of Saskatchewan. Going back and forth between the present and her childhood. It picks up with the arrival of her brother. We already know a little about him from the flashbacks, but here we learn that he is a proud Métis and strives to make life better for his people.
This is in sharp contrast to Florence, who has hidden her Métis side from the world, as though from shame. And little by little, this begins to change. This story is part internal reflection and part societal discrimination. If her friends and co-workers learn the truth, will they accept her or cast her out? Is it more important to protect a lie or to protect your family?
It’s a beautifully written story that touches on struggles and challenges that even now, 80 years later, continue. Perhaps not in exactly the same way, but the undercurrent remains.
The description of all the bead work is gorgeous. The detail and symbolism of it is all is fantastic. A thoroughly wonderful read.
ARC Read 25Jan2026
Florence Campeau never felt like she belonged in her Métis community. With her hair dyed and her name changed, she put that life behind her and began anew as a widowed blond named Florence Banks. She made a success of herself, albeit keeping people at arms length, least they discover her secret.
It’s 1946 now. Decades have gone by. And her past has collided with her present. This book begins rather slowly, showcasing Florence’s life in a small part of Saskatchewan. Going back and forth between the present and her childhood. It picks up with the arrival of her brother. We already know a little about him from the flashbacks, but here we learn that he is a proud Métis and strives to make life better for his people.
This is in sharp contrast to Florence, who has hidden her Métis side from the world, as though from shame. And little by little, this begins to change. This story is part internal reflection and part societal discrimination. If her friends and co-workers learn the truth, will they accept her or cast her out? Is it more important to protect a lie or to protect your family?
It’s a beautifully written story that touches on struggles and challenges that even now, 80 years later, continue. Perhaps not in exactly the same way, but the undercurrent remains.
The description of all the bead work is gorgeous. The detail and symbolism of it is all is fantastic. A thoroughly wonderful read.
ARC Read 25Jan2026
December 26, 2025
This is the kind of book that I know will be a 2026 bestseller. Gereaux's voice is incredibly beautiful, the techniques throughout are absorbing, and I could not put this book down.
Beyond addressing some serious Canadian systemic issues, this book made me think about family, loyalty, the choices we make and how they influence our life. The way Gereaux addresses the Métis in the book is well done and I hope that it can resonate with people that have a smaller understanding of this Canadian history. Everything is beautifully melded together and I cannot wait for this book to get on the shelves. I will certainly be recommending it to many people!!!
Beyond addressing some serious Canadian systemic issues, this book made me think about family, loyalty, the choices we make and how they influence our life. The way Gereaux addresses the Métis in the book is well done and I hope that it can resonate with people that have a smaller understanding of this Canadian history. Everything is beautifully melded together and I cannot wait for this book to get on the shelves. I will certainly be recommending it to many people!!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Beautifully written, captivating and revelatory, this book successfully walks that impossibly-thin line between entertaining and educational. I loved it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Loved this story and it made me tear up at the end
Full review soon
Thank you to the publisher for my ARC!
Full review soon
Thank you to the publisher for my ARC!
February 4, 2026
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Florence is living in post WW2 Saskatchewan, living a peaceful life. But when a group of Metis workers show up in town, and one recognizes her, Florence is forced to reconcile her past with her present.
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The book explores the Metis perspective of land claims/land ownership, and how the government forced them off their land. It also questions whether it is ok to pass in order to lead an easier life, but at the expense of your community. An important story that is beautifully written.
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Florence is living in post WW2 Saskatchewan, living a peaceful life. But when a group of Metis workers show up in town, and one recognizes her, Florence is forced to reconcile her past with her present.
-
The book explores the Metis perspective of land claims/land ownership, and how the government forced them off their land. It also questions whether it is ok to pass in order to lead an easier life, but at the expense of your community. An important story that is beautifully written.
November 24, 2025
*3.5 stars*
A needed window into not-too-distant Métis history, told through story, and all the more urgent for its recent setting.
A needed window into not-too-distant Métis history, told through story, and all the more urgent for its recent setting.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews