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Red Rooms
Red Rooms is a unique journey articulating the lives of the Native patrons of an urban hotel as seen through the eyes of the hotels cleaning lady. The characters face the crises in their lives in ways that are easily identifiable and not uncommon to Native people. What is unique about this collection of stories is Dimaline's sometimes cryptic, sometimes comedic, always compassionate and visionary housekeeper who offers hindsight, insight and foresight to the reader in the representation of their lives."Haunting and complex". is the Native Rosetta Stone. A lovely tour de force from an up-and-coming writer to watch."-Eden Robinson
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2007
6 people are currently reading
1199 people want to read
About the author
Cherie Dimaline
17 books1,936 followersCherie Dimaline wins her first Governor General's Literary Award in 2017 with The Marrow Thieves. She is an author and editor from the Georgian Bay Métis community whose award-winning fiction has been published and anthologized internationally. In 2014, she was named the Emerging Artist of the Year at the Ontario Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts, and became the first Aboriginal Writer in Residence for the Toronto Public Library. Cherie Dimaline currently lives in Toronto where she coordinates the annual Indigenous Writers' Gathering.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 22, 2012
I'm not sure how I came to know about this book, but the premise for the stories was just so compelling that I had to order it from McNally Robinson.
From the back cover: "Naomi works in a mid-sized hotel in a large-sized city. She cleans the rooms, hates the management and longs for some time off. But things aren't always so dull, not with her gift for spinning intricate tales out of the minute clues left behind by the guests."
Intriguing, no?
These stories were wonderful. My favourites were the first and the last.
The writing in Room 414 is lyrical and full of movement. I think of dancing, with swirling skirts, ribbons and scarves. Both intricate and yet subtly seductive. Beautiful.
In Room 304, a $2,400 bag-carrying, $300 shoe-wearing executive woman finds a powwow dancer's diary. Fascinating, addictive and hopeful.
I love the author's dedication: "For Edna Dusome (1913 - 2005). I did it Grandma!" Grandma must be smiling.
From the back cover: "Naomi works in a mid-sized hotel in a large-sized city. She cleans the rooms, hates the management and longs for some time off. But things aren't always so dull, not with her gift for spinning intricate tales out of the minute clues left behind by the guests."
Intriguing, no?
These stories were wonderful. My favourites were the first and the last.
The writing in Room 414 is lyrical and full of movement. I think of dancing, with swirling skirts, ribbons and scarves. Both intricate and yet subtly seductive. Beautiful.
In Room 304, a $2,400 bag-carrying, $300 shoe-wearing executive woman finds a powwow dancer's diary. Fascinating, addictive and hopeful.
I love the author's dedication: "For Edna Dusome (1913 - 2005). I did it Grandma!" Grandma must be smiling.
February 27, 2018
“Someone pulled the fire alarm and within minutes the hotel threw up its entire registry,” writes Cherie Dimaline in the first pages of Red Rooms, her debut novel. We see all through the eyes of Naomi -- observer/chambermaid/poet-- as she imagines the past, present and future of several guests at an inner city hotel. Similar to Natalie -- a businesswoman who couldn’t stop reading the pow-wow dancer’s journal that she finds in Room 304 -- I couldn’t put this book down.
January 9, 2025
People all over the world at this very moment were dying for their right to more than exist, their right to live as free people, to think and feel and cry and dance. They bled for these small and beautiful things....p34
The red rooms are not a bright and cheerful red but sludgey and dark like dried blood. In this dank and oppressive atmosphere, don't expect a good sleep.
Somewhere between the rules they drafted and the boundaries they built...was the void she kept slipping into. p92
Cherie Dimaline lets no one off the hook, holding out such tiny scraps of hope that despair can easily overshadow any good intentions.
understanding that there was music all around her didn't make it any easier to dance. p118
3.5 rounded up for GR
5/7
The red rooms are not a bright and cheerful red but sludgey and dark like dried blood. In this dank and oppressive atmosphere, don't expect a good sleep.
Somewhere between the rules they drafted and the boundaries they built...was the void she kept slipping into. p92
Cherie Dimaline lets no one off the hook, holding out such tiny scraps of hope that despair can easily overshadow any good intentions.
understanding that there was music all around her didn't make it any easier to dance. p118
3.5 rounded up for GR
5/7
December 12, 2022
I first came across Cherie Dimaline through her outstanding dystopian YA novel
The Marrow Thieves
which impressed me both with its world building and its careful deployment of an historicised Indigenous speculative fiction without reducing that history to metaphor or simplistic parallel. So, when I came across this early novel/set of interlinked short stories I had high hopes that I was pleased to see were met.
The book is held together by the otherwise un-named Naomi, a cleaner in a mid-range, middle sized, slightly run-down, edge of downtown chain hotel in an unnamed Canadian city. Along the way we learn little more about Naomi (and only learn her name in the 4th story) except that she and her son live in a barely affordable one-bedroomed apartment… but that is rather more tangential to her role as narrator, story teller and context provider. What we do learn is that Naomi is highly observant, humane and humanistic, and cautious about who gets into her world: that is much more important than any personal details. It is her observations about various rooms that provide the setting for Dimaline to spin off on a backstory. In two cases it is a dead customer (Rooms 414 and 502) – which must be more common than many of us suspect in this kind of commercial high use hotel, in two cases it is an artefact left behind – a photograph (Room 106) and a diary (Room 304), and in one case she stumbles upon an unexpected sleeper still in the room after it appears to customer has checked out (Room 207). In all cases, the story than spins out is one of Indigenousness, of a Métis or First Nations person and their world.
One of the many things I liked about the collection is the way Dimaline avoids the predictable tales of Indigenous urban life – tales of alienation and abuse. Even the one that comes closest to this, the opening story of the teenage sex worker deftly slides into roots, home and groundedness, while the other corpse derived story bursts the stereotypes played out by other hotel staff who presume that a drug caused death is a junkie death. The other three stories turn around business or other forms of success – the left behind photograph becomes a tale of a globally recognised photo-journalist, an unexpected sleeper a cultural artefact expert, the diary a corporate highflyer who finds her inner dancer. Dimaline builds characters carefully and elegantly, not-so-much with twists as with views of events from just a step away from the expected so her shifts of perspective are small but profound.
Dimaline makes great use of the highly observant unseen worker as narrative driver to craft a series of stories of Indigenous experience, of crises that are common and recognisable but also distinctively Native. The effect is an engaging and compelling collection/novel that drew me in, held me and demanded that I read just one more…. And all the more so because I stumbled upon it, dithered over whether I could justify another book in an already close to overweight bag, and thought, dammit, I’ll give it a go…. And then to find it became one of my treats of the year.
The book is held together by the otherwise un-named Naomi, a cleaner in a mid-range, middle sized, slightly run-down, edge of downtown chain hotel in an unnamed Canadian city. Along the way we learn little more about Naomi (and only learn her name in the 4th story) except that she and her son live in a barely affordable one-bedroomed apartment… but that is rather more tangential to her role as narrator, story teller and context provider. What we do learn is that Naomi is highly observant, humane and humanistic, and cautious about who gets into her world: that is much more important than any personal details. It is her observations about various rooms that provide the setting for Dimaline to spin off on a backstory. In two cases it is a dead customer (Rooms 414 and 502) – which must be more common than many of us suspect in this kind of commercial high use hotel, in two cases it is an artefact left behind – a photograph (Room 106) and a diary (Room 304), and in one case she stumbles upon an unexpected sleeper still in the room after it appears to customer has checked out (Room 207). In all cases, the story than spins out is one of Indigenousness, of a Métis or First Nations person and their world.
One of the many things I liked about the collection is the way Dimaline avoids the predictable tales of Indigenous urban life – tales of alienation and abuse. Even the one that comes closest to this, the opening story of the teenage sex worker deftly slides into roots, home and groundedness, while the other corpse derived story bursts the stereotypes played out by other hotel staff who presume that a drug caused death is a junkie death. The other three stories turn around business or other forms of success – the left behind photograph becomes a tale of a globally recognised photo-journalist, an unexpected sleeper a cultural artefact expert, the diary a corporate highflyer who finds her inner dancer. Dimaline builds characters carefully and elegantly, not-so-much with twists as with views of events from just a step away from the expected so her shifts of perspective are small but profound.
Dimaline makes great use of the highly observant unseen worker as narrative driver to craft a series of stories of Indigenous experience, of crises that are common and recognisable but also distinctively Native. The effect is an engaging and compelling collection/novel that drew me in, held me and demanded that I read just one more…. And all the more so because I stumbled upon it, dithered over whether I could justify another book in an already close to overweight bag, and thought, dammit, I’ll give it a go…. And then to find it became one of my treats of the year.
October 3, 2020
Just exceptional writing for each of these 5 stories. Another wonderful book by Ms. Dimaline, who I was lucky enough to see in Calgary when she was promoting "Empire of the Wild".
I really liked the "pre-story" in italics leading up to the "actual" story as it gave you a bit of background as well. I thought each of the main character(s) was well written and felt you could feel their pain, joy, anguish, happiness, etc.
I liked: Room 106; 304; 207; 502; 414, in that order, because, for whatever reason, the stories were more enjoyable to read and resonated with me more.
I really liked the "pre-story" in italics leading up to the "actual" story as it gave you a bit of background as well. I thought each of the main character(s) was well written and felt you could feel their pain, joy, anguish, happiness, etc.
I liked: Room 106; 304; 207; 502; 414, in that order, because, for whatever reason, the stories were more enjoyable to read and resonated with me more.
February 26, 2018
Having worked in hotel myself, I loved this concept and perspective of the limitless stories each guest carries with them. Dimaline is an insightful writer and this short work is packed with depth.
September 21, 2021
I enjoyed this book much more than anything I have read in the past several months. The short story format is one that I haven't delved into much it flowed so smoothly, one to the other, I actually anticipated them melding into a conclusion that brought them all full circle and into a single realm.
While Dimaline never takes us far from some of the grittier aspects of life, her writing is filled with satirical humour, empathy and understanding. Written by an indigenous person about other indigenous people, I challenge you not to see yourself somewhere in these pages. It's a great reminder that we are all kin. We may share different stories; we may have walked different paths but we are all of the same blood, the same family. We need to remember that throughout our daily lives.
I will definitely be watching more from this Canadian!
While Dimaline never takes us far from some of the grittier aspects of life, her writing is filled with satirical humour, empathy and understanding. Written by an indigenous person about other indigenous people, I challenge you not to see yourself somewhere in these pages. It's a great reminder that we are all kin. We may share different stories; we may have walked different paths but we are all of the same blood, the same family. We need to remember that throughout our daily lives.
I will definitely be watching more from this Canadian!
March 30, 2023
So this is the book that was Cherie Dimaline's first... so glad to have read it. I have met her several times, I have read several of her books, and this book I loved both for the stories themselves, and for the Foreword by Lee Maracle (now passed away), and for the Acknowledgements to Cherie's grandmother (also passed away - shortly after Cherie finished this manuscript) - two of her mentors that obviously meant so much to her. I will continue to love Cherie's writing no matter what she writes, and so glad to have this book where it all started... a book about a hotel maid spinning stories about what is left behind in hotel rooms. She has such a great imagination!
April 27, 2024
I don't have much to say about this book, unfortunately, as I was in the middle of midterms and reading about five books at the same time for various classes, but I did thoroughly enjoy this. I really liked the format of having 'short stories' told through the lens of one character, and I liked the format of each story being assigned a room number in the hotel. I also appreciated how it highlighted Indigenous life in the city, because it's not something Canadians often discuss or see, even in Toronto. I wish I could give a more detailed review because I really did enjoy this, but, unfortunately, I didn't have time when I read it to take more detailed notes. I definitely would recommend it!
February 7, 2020
27. Red Rooms by Cherie Demaline
These five linked stories all take place in hotel rooms in a not quite luxurious area. Most of the guests are indigenous and all have intriguing tales, usually told by Natalie, an overworked maid, who spins the tales from items left by guests in their rooms. One of these includes a pow-wow dancer’s journal. There are hard topics in these stories and the author is fearless. Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves is one of the next books on my list, stashed in my “in case” hospital bag.
These five linked stories all take place in hotel rooms in a not quite luxurious area. Most of the guests are indigenous and all have intriguing tales, usually told by Natalie, an overworked maid, who spins the tales from items left by guests in their rooms. One of these includes a pow-wow dancer’s journal. There are hard topics in these stories and the author is fearless. Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves is one of the next books on my list, stashed in my “in case” hospital bag.
October 20, 2021
This book by the author of another outstanding novel, The Marrow Thieves, was beautifully and poetically written....even though it dealt with some rather dark and depressing storyline.
Told in a series of five short stories by a young chambermaid in a mid grade hotel, she is curious and imaginative about the lives of people that inhabit rooms in said hotel. As a creative and constructive outlet for the boredom and monotony of her occupation, she creates intricate stories about them.
I really enjoyed this one!
Told in a series of five short stories by a young chambermaid in a mid grade hotel, she is curious and imaginative about the lives of people that inhabit rooms in said hotel. As a creative and constructive outlet for the boredom and monotony of her occupation, she creates intricate stories about them.
I really enjoyed this one!
August 30, 2021
This is a short story compilation of a hotel worker picturing the lives of five different people staying in the hotel - these were a little darker than I initially expected (more imagining their dark realities than their picturesque lives, which is what I thought of initially). Some were sad, but I did enjoy what felt like these little peeks in to peoples hardships.
August 11, 2017
3.5++
beautiful collection of stories, well written, well told.
beautiful collection of stories, well written, well told.
February 13, 2020
Emotionally packed short stories of a hotel "housekeeper". The first novel from this powerful author. Just WOW! Later. Keep Reading.
July 5, 2020
I loved this collection of short stories that weave together.
August 19, 2020
very interesting book about people who stay in different hotel rooms and their life story-some sad some given a life lesson. A good read.
July 1, 2023
Such well written and intriguing short stories about a native hotel worker and the narratives she crafts of the guests she notices.
October 2, 2025
read this read this have it from me. room 207 short story I see you.
July 1, 2021
From the author of “The Marrow Thieves” (which is also terrific), “Red Rooms” is Cherie Dimaline’s first book from 2007. A collection of short stories with a great premise: Naomi is an Indigenous woman who works as a cleaning lady at a hotel. The stories are about the people who stay there. Each one is introduced in her voice with the details she observes. Her imagination fills in the rest. A very accomplished debut, I’m becoming interested in reading all of her work!
January 23, 2015
*I received this book free through a goodreads giveaway*
I liked it. I never got to the point where I loved it but I did enjoy it. Five unrelated stories very loosely linked by a hotel (that is not a complaint - merely an observation) that are all very different. I enjoyed them all. No spoilers here so I won't reveal plots but the first story was a tiny bit confusing as to what was real and what was a dream sequence (it all makes sense in the end) and the last one lacked a little character development for the person reading the diary. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book! It is fun for me to read Canadian authors and books that take place in Canada as my dad grew up in Canada.
I liked it. I never got to the point where I loved it but I did enjoy it. Five unrelated stories very loosely linked by a hotel (that is not a complaint - merely an observation) that are all very different. I enjoyed them all. No spoilers here so I won't reveal plots but the first story was a tiny bit confusing as to what was real and what was a dream sequence (it all makes sense in the end) and the last one lacked a little character development for the person reading the diary. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book! It is fun for me to read Canadian authors and books that take place in Canada as my dad grew up in Canada.
October 7, 2011
The premise of 'Red Rooms' is unique. A bored hotel maid uses a rich
imagination to fantasize about the previous occupants of the hotel
rooms she is assigned to clean. Each story is separate and complete,
using the hotel and the hotel maid as connectors. It is the only quibble I have with the novel as I think the book could have been marketed as a short story collection. No big deal. Cherie Dimiline's writing is fluent,
poetic, educated and seemingly effortless. Each character is achingly
real and I was drawn immediately in to their world. Read this book.
imagination to fantasize about the previous occupants of the hotel
rooms she is assigned to clean. Each story is separate and complete,
using the hotel and the hotel maid as connectors. It is the only quibble I have with the novel as I think the book could have been marketed as a short story collection. No big deal. Cherie Dimiline's writing is fluent,
poetic, educated and seemingly effortless. Each character is achingly
real and I was drawn immediately in to their world. Read this book.
July 8, 2014
Cherie Dimaline’s Red Rooms is an X-rated, high-flying acid trip that spins, weaves and delivers you to a world where dark spirits and laughter dance together. Inspired by the detritus left in hotel rooms, a Native chambermaid named Naomi passes time by imagining the lives of five hotel guests. The tales mesh together, as ghosts of the past, present and future affect the living. The novel makes you laugh out loud just after tears have welled up in your eyes. Raw, intense and sexual words blend to create a world that draws you in deeply and leaves you wanting more.
January 16, 2017
This book contains a compilation of stories told from the rooms in a hotel and the people whose experiences the storyteller gives life to. I found this book to be intriguing, and though it dealt with some tough themes (drug abuse, homelessness, extramarital affairs) the characters were alive and their lives so unpredictable and holding on to hope that I found myself lost in their worlds. A very good read.
November 27, 2011
One of the best books I've read in a long time! This book really moved me. I'll have to reread it to write a good review, but I would suggest it as a read to everybody...while its cast is mainly Native characters, this isn't super apparent so it seems like it'd be "accessible" to people who also don't have an awareness of Native culture as well as those who do. Anyway highly recommended.
March 13, 2014
Excellent book !
February 15, 2016
Each of these stories was interesting and compelling. Really well written.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews