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Author and journalist Christine Fischer Guy joins Backroads Bill to explore the real-life inspiration behind her haunting novel The Umbrella Mender, set during the 1950s tuberculosis outbreak in Moose Factory, Ontario.
Through in-depth research, remote travel, and family connection, Christine weaves a story that parallels past and present pandemics — from TB to COVID — and invites readers to rethink how we view medicine, memory, and Indigenous history in the North.
Purchase the Umbrella Mender: https://christinefischerguy.com/the-umbrella-mender/
00:00 - Intro 02:33 - Who Is Christine Fischer Guy? Author, Journalist, Yogini 06:18 - What TB in the 1950s Teaches Us About COVID 10:45 - Google Earth, Floods & Finally Reaching Moose Factory 15:10 - Meeting Elders & Uncovering Firsthand Stories 19:45 - The Umbrella Mender: Why a Settler Nurse Tells the Story 24:00 - How TB Devastated Northern Indigenous Communities 28:30 - Writing Indigenous Characters With Sensitivity & Respect 32:55 - Hazel, Gideon & a French Nickname with Meaning 36:35 - The Symbolism of the Roofless Silo 40:10 - Publishing in Canada: The Long Road to Print 47:05 - A New Novel on the Horizon (Spring 2026 Preview!)
