How long could you lie about who you are?

In Tara Gereaux’s new novel, Wild People Quiet , a Métis woman works tirelessly to hide her identity for years … until everything starts to come crashing down. It’s the early 1900s when Florence realizes she can pass as white. Longing for a comfortable life free of discrimination, she decides to leave her entire family and culture behind. Decades later, her carefully constructed facade is challenged by a group of Métis farmhands who come through town, and she begins to wonder if her rigid, lonely life was worth it after all. This week, Tara joins Mattea to talk about Florence’s complexity, life for Métis people in the mid-20th century and exploring the beauty of beadwork in the novel. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: In the Caribbean, secret lives come at a cost What would it take to become the first Cherokee astronaut? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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How long could you lie about who you are? is an episode from Writers and Company from CBC Radio by CBC.

This episode is 00:25:20 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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