Structure

Red Paint employs an unconventional, non-linear structure that mirrors the ruptures and reconstructions within protagonist Sasha LaPointe's journey of healing intergenerational and personal trauma. The fragmented vignettes and time jumps reflect the process of integrating trauma into one's identity. The novel opens with a poem immersed in the sensory details of pre-colonial Coast Salish life before pivoting to the destructive arrival of white settlers. This signals LaPointe grappling with the profound cultural loss that echoes through her current struggles with abuse and addiction. From there, we spiral into reflections on different stages of LaPointe's life, from her childhood on the reservation to going homeless as a teen to her tumultuous relationship in young adulthood with musician Brandon. The events are revealed impressionistically, through vivid scenes and symbolic details rather than straightforward plot.

Interspersed are imagined glimpses into LaPointe's ancestor Comptia's experiences of smallpox devastating her tribe and...