The Outside Circle

The Outside Circle is a graphic novel by Canadian author, academic, and politician Patti LaBoucane-Benson, illustrated by Kelly Mellings. The novel was first published in 2015.

Patti LaBoucane-Benson is of Métis descent and serving as the director of the research, training, and communication at Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA). Her research centers on Indigenous historical trauma, healing, and resilience. The Outside Circle is drawn from LaBoucane-Benson’s studies, professional work, and personal healing journey. In particular, the novel is inspired by her experience overseeing the In Search of Your Warrior Program, a program designed to facilitate the healing process for incarcerated Aboriginal men.

The Outside Circle was honored with the 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Métis and Inuit Literature. This guide references the 2015 edition of the novel by House of Anansi Press.

Spelling Note: In conventional comic book style, The Outside Circle uses strings of symbols to replace written curse words. Direct quotations in this guide maintain this stylistic choice.

Content Warning: This guide and source material contains references to violence, substance abuse, and abuse of Indigenous people.

Plot Summary

The Outside Circle has a Chinese box structure: a frame narrative, in which the main plot is a story told by the protagonist, Pete Carver, an Aboriginal man. The novel opens with present-day Pete sitting in a circle with the participants of the In Search of Your Warrior Program. As the guide of the program, Pete announces that he will tell them a story. The narrative flashes back to the past.

In the flashback, Pete is a young man living in Edmonton, Canada, entangled in the harsh world of gang violence. Pete is in a dark alley extorting money from young kids while his girlfriend, Crystal, waits for him in the car. When he gets back in the car, Crystal shares that she’s pregnant. Pete’s reaction is anger—he denies the child’s paternity and asks Crystal to leave. His anger materializes as a red and white mask on his face.

Pete lives with his younger brother, Joey, along with their mother, Bernice, and her partner, Dennis, who are both experiencing addiction. The next day, Pete meets with his gang members, who express their approval of his actions the previous night. As a symbol of his allegiance to the gang, they give him a tattoo bearing the initials TW. When he returns home, Pete finds out that Bernice and Dennis have sold all their furniture, leading to a heated confrontation that culminates in Pete shooting Dennis, his face once again concealed by the mask.

After this incident, Pete is arrested, and Joey is removed from his mother’s care and placed in a group home. However, Joey soon runs away and ends up working for Pete’s gang. Meanwhile, in prison, Pete is approached by a man who proposes safeguarding Joey in exchange for Pete’s involvement in his jail gang. Pete agrees to this arrangement. In the meantime, Joey ends up in prison after a confrontation. After being instructed by the jail gang, Pete attacks another inmate with a knife. This triggers a retaliatory attack, leaving Pete injured. Pete’s parole officer recommends his participation in the In Search of Your Warrior Program, designed for the healing and rehabilitation of incarcerated Aboriginal men. Pete decides to accept this opportunity.

Pete is moved to a different jail, and after a year of good behavior, he is allowed to participate in the program. The program is led by Elder Violet who guides the men through exercises and ceremonies designed to heal their deep-seated trauma. She helps the men to reconnect with their heritage and imparts a crucial lesson: The trauma faced by Indigenous children separated from their families and placed in residential schools led them to hate their cultural heritage. This legacy was passed on to their own children, creating a vicious cycle. During a session, Violet emphasizes the importance of comprehending one’s family history to break free from this cycle. Pete, however, is frustrated due to his lack of knowledge about his family. His father left them, and he resents his mother for having a drug addiction. At this point, he’s depicted wearing the red and white mask. Violet performs a smudging ritual (a ceremony involving the burning of herbs), and the mask dissolves.

One day, Elder Roy, one of the program leaders, educates the men about how Indigenous communities used to operate, emphasizing the crucial role of men as the “outside circle” responsible for ensuring the safety of everyone within the community. Later that day, Pete receives the news of his mother’s passing. He attends the funeral and reunites with Joey, whom he hasn’t seen in over a year. Joey now lives with another family, away from their group home. During the funeral, their uncle, Ray Carver, appears. This is the first time that Pete and Joey have ever met him. Pete is upset with Ray for not being there to support their mother.

Back at the center, Pete begins to open up and share his emotions. He explains to Violet that he feels angry that his mother died alone because of her addiction, guilty for not being there to protect her, and ashamed for abandoning his pregnant girlfriend just like his father did. Ray and Joey visit Pete at the center. During this visit, Ray shares their family’s history, revealing that he and his siblings were taken away from their parents. This is why he had no contact with their mother and had been searching for her for years. The story moves Pete and Joey.

One day, Violet tasks the men with creating masks of their own faces and painting them with colors and designs of their own choosing. She explains how rage and hate act as masks, concealing one’s true self. However, new masks can be created to symbolize transformation and growth. After crafting their masks, the men go to the wilderness to reconnect with their true selves. Pete has a powerful encounter with a bear, a presence visible only to him. The following day, during a sweat ceremony (a ritual in a heated structure called a sweat lodge), Violet reveals that the bear he saw is his protector. She imparts his spirit name, which represents his true self: Waking Bear. Soon after that, the men graduate from the program, and Pete is depicted wearing his new mask featuring the silhouette of a bear.

Pete receives a call from one of his former gang members who ask him to rejoin, but Pete declines. This decision results in Joey getting beaten up and hospitalized. Pete blames himself, but Joey reassures him that he did the right thing. Later, Pete calls Crystal to express his intention to provide financial support for their child. Although she is hesitant at first, three months later Pete visits Crystal’s house and meets his daughter, Shayla, for the first time. Five months later, Pete is granted full parole. As he is leaving the center, his old gang reappears and attempts to lure him back. However, Pete stands his ground, making it clear that he wants nothing to do with them anymore. The gang eventually backs off and Pete drives away with Ray and Joey.

The narrative then flashes forward to the present; Pete, now a mentor, sits in a circle with the men of the In Search of Your Warrior Program. He reflects on his journey and says that he considers himself incredibly fortunate. The story ends with Pete telling the men that every day gets easier.