The Caveless Mountains

The Caveless Mountains: A Recovery Narrative explores the effect trauma has on a victim with family, friends and himself. My thesis covers growth and redemption in a cyclical world of falling and rising. Narrative voice becomes a primary tool used to map the development of character. The validity of memory is also addressed. Along with validity, my thesis challenges the gaps between what is nonfiction and fiction. Surrealistic visions similar involving animals help foreground the fictionalized parts. This surrealism is influenced by Native stories. While the thesis is grounded in non-fiction, the animal sections trouble the boundaries between non-fiction and fiction. The Trickster-like figure that serves as an interlude between hospital and flashback scenes helps ground the reader into an Indigenous author and character. Setting serves as an obstacle that prevents the protagonist, Texis’ growth. Being so close with a developing character helps illustrate how little ‘grown-ups’ listen to those deemed childish, whether children or someone with a learning disability. Having Indigenous elements in a contemporary era helps bridge the gap between cultures