Cst. Jasper NelsonSA国际影视传媒檚 father makes a deathbed admission: his son has an illegitimate sister.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 one of the opening moments of Ketsia LessardSA国际影视传媒檚 novel On Duty, which was released this spring. Following that scene, the woman is revealed as Heidi Finlay, an officer raised by an Inuvialuit family in Inuvik.

After the lost siblings meet, Nelson is transferred to Inuvik and the two begin fighting crime and connecting after years of separation. What follows is a largely episodic novel, where the characters live the legacy of residential schools and their own roles as officers in the community.

Their relationship is the heart of the novel, and tends to ground it when it veers into more uneven sections, the most unexpected of which is a hastily introduced Free Mason plot in its final chapter. For the majority of the novel, however, Inuvik appears as the third main character, lending place and context to the siblingsSA国际影视传媒� story.

Speaking to Inuvik Drum, author Ketsia Lessard said she was drawn to the setting when painting a picture set in town. Over the course of her research, she read local records and media coverage and the memoirs of a northern officer to learn more about Inuvik, and wove it into her storytelling.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I discovered the town in the context of the painting and the characters, I decided to set it there. I was just drawn to the place I guess,SA国际影视传媒� Lessard said, adding her roots in northern Quebec helped her connect to the setting.

She also chose Inuvik to explore the legacy of residential schools in the area. While the complexity and weight of the subject could be difficult to broach, she said she found SA国际影视传媒淟ots of beauty, not just painSA国际影视传媒� in her research on the local history of the subject.

Her readings fascinated her. The research pushed back on the southSA国际影视传媒檚 stereotypical image of the north,  she said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 just winter 12 months out of the year. The polar nights, the polar days. Mosquito season, It was such an interesting place to describe in the book. I really wanted people to love being in that place, not just find it a depressing subject.SA国际影视传媒�

She said she hopes the novel lends SA国际影视传媒渁 certain prideSA国际影视传媒� to residents who read it.

SA国际影视传媒淚 hope they can have pride, and be happy about it, feel like they are heard and loved and understood,SA国际影视传媒� Lessard said.

Parallel to this attention to local detail is the two main charactersSA国际影视传媒� process of considering their positions as officers in the community. Lessard, whoSA国际影视传媒檚 based out of Montreal, said it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 her job to tell NorthernersSA国际影视传媒� story for them. As a result, the characters arenSA国际影视传媒檛 SA国际影视传媒渉eroes or saviours,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭heySA国际影视传媒檙e eye-witnesses and narrators of whatSA国际影视传媒檚 happening.SA国际影视传媒�

Their relationship underlays this process, with the novel switching between JasperSA国际影视传媒檚 more florid prose, and HeidiSA国际影视传媒檚 more measured reporting. Both sides hint and their growing ties, and was based-off LessardSA国际影视传媒檚 own experience with her older brother, who moved out when she was young.

SA国际影视传媒淚 always missed him very much,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪tories about siblings always moved me very much, and I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to make that up in the sense that it was already inside of me. These were feelings I already had and I could draw from that.SA国际影视传媒�

Building off that spirit of redemption, she said she hopes the novel, while dealing with heavy themes, is an alternative to downbeat Canadian literature. Addressing larger subjects is important, she said, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 also vital to feel hopeful.

Ultimately, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what she hopes the residents of Inuvik take away from her book. SA国际影视传媒淚 wanted them to feel uplifted,SA国际影视传媒� she said.