Stones and Switches, Simon’s first and only novel, is set in the 1930s on the fictional reservation of Messkig, one of the Mi’kmaq words for “large.” “It is an ironic name for a reservation,” writes Simon, “that has had most of its lands illegally taken” (152). It tells the story of Megwadesk (a Mi'kmaq word for the “northern lights”) and his common-law partner Mimiges (“butterfly”). Megwadesk is experiencing a struggle between his traditional Native upbringing and the more immediate and alluring white world. His dreams are haunted by the frequent appearance of rabid animals:

     There were dark pillows under his reddened eyes. For the past  six nights he had slept very little and, of the little sleep he got, none of it had been restful. A dreadful web seemed to surround him, visible only to his shut eyes. Always his spirit's nightly flights ended in a tangle of nightmares. Something always chased him in his dreams. He got no satisfaction from sleep, no rest. So now he avoided sleep. (6)

DAL/Kill special collection - PS 8587 I42 S7 1994

SMU - PS 8587 I35 S76 1994  

CBU - PS 8587 I35 S76 1994

CBU/MRC - PS 8587 I35 S76 1994

ISBN 0919441688