Captivating

I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that right out of the gate, this story starts with an attack. The woman in question is rendered stunned, and her little family is paralyzed as to how to help her. The protagonist here is her son, Joe, aged 13. You might think that a book that teaches us much we need to know about tribal rights, law, misuse of authority, and continued atrocities to Native Peoples would be tedious. Not so, in this case. That is the genius of Louise Erdrich. I had never encountered her before, but this book won't be the last of hers that I read.

Joe is such a rich character that you feel you are walking around in his skin as the tale unfolds. He and his band of buddies navigate the fickle bridge between childhood and adult "freedom" vacillating between hormonal rebellion and a pining for the security of apron strings. The premise of this novel is somber and terrifying, yet real life goes on and it's not always weighty. While Joe and friends try to close in on the perpetrator of his mom's attack, we're treated to side-trips which make you gasp, laugh, and ponder.

I found this book to be a combination of the light mysticism of Brian Doyle, the tomfoolery of The Sandlot, and Stephen King's ability to climb inside a child's head and heart, while giving us a lesson that's hard to hear and important to know.