A Bird in the House

Vanessa describes the Tonnerre family’s modest shack along the Wachakwa River, south of Manawaka. Originally built with poplar and mud by Jules Tonnerre, a wounded veteran of the 1885 Battle of Batoche, the cabin is intended as a temporary winter shelter but remains the family’s home into the 1930s. Over the years, the Tonnerres, of French and Cree descent, have expanded the structure and continue speaking a blend of both languages.

The Tonnerres—including Jules and his son, Lazarus—are known in the community for getting into drunken brawls on Main Street, often ending up in jail overnight.

Piquette Tonnerre, Lazarus’s daughter, is older than Vanessa and struggles academically due to frequent absences from school, compounded by severe tuberculosis that requires hospitalization under the care of Vanessa’s father, Ewen. Vanessa initially finds Piquette embarrassing because of her limp and unkempt appearance, and she pays her little attention.

When Vanessa is 11, Ewen suggests they bring 13-year-old Piquette to Diamond Lake for the summer to relieve her from the household chores that exacerbate her condition. Beth expresses concerns about contagion and lice, which leads to a sharp response from Ewen. Grandmother MacLeod refuses to go if Piquette joins. Beth is pleased by this and agrees, stipulating that Piquette must behave.