I Can Make This Promise

I Can Make This Promise is set in and around Seattle, Washington, in the present day. The setting is crucial to Edie’s journey, as she has deep cultural roots in the area. Most of the story takes place in Seattle proper, where Edie has spent her whole life. The city of Seattle bears little sign of its precolonial past. When Edie visits Pike Place Market or her friends’ houses, there are no indications of the land’s first inhabitants or any location’s historical importance. Most people in Edie’s life have limited knowledge of Indigenous history; they have never recognized its relevance to their lives.

At the book’s beginning and end, Edie visits Indigenous communities. She and her parents celebrate the Fourth of July on the Tulalip Reservation north of Seattle. Although Edie understands little about Indigenous culture at the time, she feels a new sense of belonging when she visits the area. Near the story’s end, she visits Indianola, another Indigenous community where her grandmother lived. In these Indigenous spaces, Edie finally starts to see her past and her present with clarity. For most of her life, Edie reflected the stance of the city of Seattle: unaware of her past and disconnected from Indigenous people. Later, she starts to resemble Indianola by becoming in touch with her history and surrounded by her community.