Super Short Summary

In Truth and Bright Water by Thomas King, Tecumseh, a 15-year-old Indigenous boy, navigates life between the American border town of Truth and the Canadian reservation of Bright Water. After witnessing a mysterious woman's fall into the river with his friend Lum, Tecumseh investigates the event, seeking answers from a disinterested adult community while uncovering family secrets and grappling with cultural identity. The novel includes content about domestic and child abuse, emotional manipulation, sexism, anti-gay language, animal death, suicide, and colonial trauma.