Power: A Novel

In the magical realism genre, the text is grounded in the real world but fantastical elements are considered normal within it. On one hand, magical realism has been linked with the Indigenous world view, which is shaped by myths and legends and informed by communal values and traditions; on the other hand, critics have argued that associating Indigenous culture with magical realism undermines the truth of Indigenous life and traditions (Bowers, Maggie Ann. “Magical Realism and Indigeneity.” Magical Realism and Literature, edited by Christopher Warnes and Kim Anderson Sasser. Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 49-63). In Power, Omishto has spiritual agency; her consciousness develops through active participation in human, natural, and cosmic realms. Her identity is collective, linked to her ancestors (both animal and human) rather than individual. As Omishto develops and moves from the Western to the Taiga world, she lets go of a Western view of the world to one that allows for spirituality using the conventions of the magical realist genre.

Omishto’s vision of the four ghostlike figures on the road brings to her consciousness her belief in the tribal mythos passed onto her by Ama. The matter-of-fact