The Marrow Thieves

Over the course of "Haunted in the Bush," Frenchie spends several hours in the woods alone, one member of a larger hunting party fanned out to cover more terrain. During this solo hunting excursion, Frenchie meditates, pondering his life and circumstances within a broader environmental context. This meditation continues even as Frenchie encounters an enormous moose, which he hesitates to shoot. He utilizes hyperbole to describe the moose, providing an explanation for his indecision:

I swallowed hard, aiming, fingers exact and stiff. He was so frigging big. It was like he was a hundred years old, like he had watched all of this happen. Imagine being here through it all — the wars, the sickness, the earthquakes, the schools — only to come to this?

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During their time spent at "The Four Winds," Frenchie and Rose share an intimate moment in Frenchie's bed—the adolescent boy's first romantic encounter. As such, this moment carries great narrative and emotional significance. Dimaline's choice to incorporate hyperbole into Frenchie's inner monologue reflects this:

I swallowed hard and breathed slow and steady, like you do when you have game in sight and you don’t want to scare it off. I hoped the concentration would take my excitement away. But then she moved her hand to cover mine and I almost died. It was such exquisite clarity of blood and skin and breath that I felt like crying. Instead I let her lace her fingers through mine and tilted my neck so that my face lined up with hers.

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