In Heart Berries, Therese Marie Mailhot examines her life with depth and poetry. Into this slim volume, she squeezes love letters to her spouse, frankly discusses childhood abuse and neglect, and engages in discourse on Indigenous identity and mental illness. Employing a sophisticated subversion of existing stereotypes about Native peoples, Mailhot reveals her complicated relationship with, and the powerful nature of, her Indigenous heritage as a member of the Seabird Island Band in British Columbia. Mailhot explores her identity as an Indigenous woman in various spaces and situations: in her MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, where she is mentored by Sherman Alexie; in her romantic relationship with one of her professors, a white man; in her struggles with bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts, which at one point land her in the hospital for an extended stay. Her experiences, juggling family life and relationships, mental health,...

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