Thematically, the book centers on a romantic heartbreak and the sense of dislocation following the end of a relationship. It describes, with Gill’s signature humor and humanity, the domestic monotony of a post-breakup malaiseHeating the Outdoors has an important, indelible connection to Gill’s Ilnu identity through its deep rootedness to place. Gill has always been a beautifully subversive writer of place. Her narratives are enfolded by their natural surroundings—though these