The stories I grew up with had wonder, but they also had danger,” she said. “A lot of the supernatural creatures in our mythology are quite scary. Eden Robinson’s book Trickster DriftĪ member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations, Eden Robinson grew up with Trickster stories. York University Teaching Assistant Dana Patrascu-Kingsley sent the following report to YFile. But it’s when he starts to hear birds talking to him and see strange monsters in town that we watch Jared question his sanity and the world he belongs to.This year’s Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series featured author Eden Robinson, who visited York University on Oct. Intentions, motives, and plot are all shrouded in mystery in this Twin Peaks –esque tale set in rural Canada.įlawed but always enjoyable characters, like the meat-carrying, colourful-haired new girl in town, or Jared’s party loving, self medicating, arsonist mother, are always the cause to the chaos in his life.

There are relatable characters and there are terrifying ones. There is family connection and rebellion. He navigates his way, often on a borrowed bike, through the graffiti-tagged town, dealing with his personal problems and social pressures along the way. Jared, played by Joel Ouette, is our antihero. It’s a gritty and delightfully creepy coming of age teenage drama set in a troubled world that still manages to feel entirely Canadian - and incredibly fun.Īt its core, Trickster is an emotional story of a family trying to heal itself. Trickster shares that quality, but takes the network to a place viewers have likely not seen before.

CBC’s most historically popular series - such as Corner Gas, Workin’ Moms, Schitt’s Creek, and Kim’s Convenience - all seem to have a uniquely Canadian quirkiness. Trickster, based on Eden Robinson’s bestselling trilogy of novels, is the new six-episode television drama airing on CBC. Spoiler alert: you’ll never look at ravens the same way again. From Trickster’s very first scene, we’re teased with a world of magic.Īs the show unfolds over the course of the hour, we forget the fantastic opening moments of the pilot episode, as if tricked ourselves, until the show breaks wide open to reveal that the magic was there all along.

Trickster series eden robinson