lorraine caputo

Excellent novel by a gifted native American author—I see some critics here think she is a white woman who does not understand this culture. She is Ojibewe on her mother’s side. The strength of the novel is that she is able to write a coming of age story through the view of a young adolescent male who is beginning puberty. Readers should not mistake his youthful voice and obsessions for a fetishization of sex in this book— see other comments. I think she does a sensitive job of seeing the world through his eyes, even when his observations are influenced by his lack of experience, and his own teenage certainty about what is right and wrong in the world. I think her ability to weave in the history of her tribe, the Objibwe is done with great sensitivity and nuanced storytelling skills. Joe’s grandfather tells or transmits the story from a visceral, trans- generational, unconscious place and Joe receives it in a trance like state. And, Joe learns how painstakingly slow his father’s goals are as a judge, goals that must be built on each seemingly unimportant legal case but which will help set precedent for laws that affect native american sovereignty and the ability to advocate for themselves in future years. And it is a story of love, loyalty and commitment to family and to cultural traditions. Joe’s parents are central to his story and his life. The history telling and reference to laws that have effected indian tribes are not distracting but integral to Joe’s story and character development. It may read like a “who done it” but it is much more than that. Great literature.