5 books that North of North star Anna Lambe loved reading
The comedy series is now streaming on CBC Gem
The comedy series North of North follows the life of Siaja, a young Inuk woman living in Ice Cove, a small community in the Arctic where everyone knows everything about everyone — including their pasts.
When Siaja abruptly decides to leave her husband and pave her own path for her and her daughter, life up North gets even more frosty.
Anna Lambe is an Inuk actor from Iqaluit. She received a Canadian Screen Award nomination in 2021 for her role in CBC's mini-series Trickster based off of the novels by Eden Robinson.
She is also known for her roles in The Grizzlies and HBO's True Detective. Lambe is also a host on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
North of North premiered on CBC and APTN on Jan. 7, 2025 and Lambe hopes that the show will spark conversations about living in the North.
"The nice thing about this being a comedy is how we get to talk about so many difficult issues within our community while doing so with humour. It exposes an audience to many issues they haven't experienced but that are so common in the North, from the housing crisis to substance abuse or residential schools and difficult family dynamics," Lambe said in a statement.
North of North is available to watch each Tuesday on CBC Gem and airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBC TV. The show is also coming to Netflix in Spring 2025.
When Lambe is not acting, she is often found reading everything from sci-fi and fantasy to memoir. Before North of North premiered, she sat down with CBC Books to share some of the books that remind her of the power of storytelling and her own voice.
"One of the things that I'm most excited about is for people to see an Inuit story led by Inuit from an Inuk's perspective. I think so often Inuit stories have been told by non-Inuit and to really see an Inuk woman make mistakes and pick herself back up and really find her power and her voice," said Lambe.
"Being able to have grace for herself and for her community members and for her loved ones and find forgiveness."
Check out five books Lambe returns to for guidance and creativity.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is a dystopian tale that follows a teenage girl named Katniss Everdeen, who lives in one of 12 oppressed districts controlled by wealthy residents of the Capitol.
Each year, one boy and one girl are chosen from each district to fight to the death in a televised reality show called the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers for the games in order to save her sister and unwittingly sets off a district-wide revolution.
Suzanne Collins is an American author and screenwriter best known for The Hunger Games Trilogy. Her 2020 novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games following the teen years of President Snow. The movie adaptation released in Nov. 2023.
"The first book that I can remember reading that left an impression was The Hunger Games series. I was one of those … fangirl book nerds once upon a time," said Lambe. "I have always really enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy and I'm particularly a fan of horror and all things scary."
Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq
Combining memoir with fiction, Tanya Tagaq writes about a young girl's coming of age in 1970s Nunavut. She is a witness to the mythic wonders of the Arctic world, which juxtapose harshly against the violence and alcoholism in her community.
Split Tooth was on the longlist for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. It also won the $2,000 Indigenous Voices Award for best published prose in English.
Split Tooth is the first book by Tagaq, a Polaris Prize and Juno-winning Inuk throat singer.
"Tanya's just such an incredible artist and performer and reading Split Tooth, which is so raw and honest and scary … it was quite intense, but I really enjoyed it and it's something that I've revisited a few times," said Lambe.
What I Remember, What I Know by Larry Audlaluk
Larry Audlaluk was born in Inukjuak in northern Quebec, but his family was relocated to Grise Fiord in the High Arctic in 1953, where they found a polar desert not fit to build a community. Audlaluk was sent to residential school, survived, and returned to his community to become a leader and advocate for it in the face of colonialism and lack of resources. He finally shares his remarkable story in What I Remember, What I Know.
Audlaluk is a community leader for Grise Fiord and for the High Arctic. What I Remember, What I Know is his first book.
"Larry's actually a family member!" said Lambe. "It really helped me understand, in a different way, my family's history. Because of course, I've heard them talk about it and my aunt made a documentary called Martha of the North, that outlined the relocations. But it was just really interesting to hear about my great grandparents who were relocated."
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
Son of a Trickster is a novel about Jared, a compassionate 16-year-old, maker of famous weed cookies, the caretaker of his elderly neighbours, the son of an unreliable father and unhinged, though loving in her way, mother. As Jared ably cares for those around him, in between getting drunk, he shrugs off the magical and strange happenings that follow him around.
Son of a Trickster was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2017 and was defended by Kaniehtiio Horn on Canada Reads 2020.
Eden Robinson has published five novels and a collection of short stories. Her work, infused with dark humour, gothic influences and traditional Haisla and Heiltsuk stories, portrays the everyday lives of Indigenous people in coastal B.C. Robinson was also the 2024 Arts Laureate for the Indspire Awards.
"Back in 2019, I did a CBC series called Trickster," said Lambe. "I really owe a lot to Eden and her talent for being able to open career doors for me so that is also a book that's deeply, deeply important to me."
The Truth About Stories by Thomas King
In his 2003 CBC Massey Lectures series, The Truth About Stories, Thomas King delves into the tradition of Indigenous storytelling, then goes on to write about everything from literature to history to social protest and politics in North America. The lectures emphasize and give light to the relationship and perceptions the Western world has had with Indigenous peoples over time.
King is a Canadian American writer of Cherokee and Greek ancestry who is regarded as one of the most influential Indigenous writers and scholars of his generation.
King was the first Indigenous person to deliver a CBC Massey Lecture in 2003. His bestselling books include Truth & Bright Water, The Inconvenient Indian, Green Grass, Running Water, The Back of the Turtle and the DreadfulWater mystery series.
"There's certain things that I pull from it about identity and connection and community and moving through life with humour that the book comes back to me. I find every time I revisit it, I'm left with a new perspective," said Lambe.
Anna Lambe's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
