The Round House: A Novel [L0062]

2013 -French-flap PB. Excellent condition. Washington Post Best Book of the Year, New York Times Notable Book, National Book Award Winner. An exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family. One of the most revered novelists of our time - a brilliant chronicler of Native-American life - Louise Erdrich returns to the territory of her bestselling, Pulitzer Prize finalist The Plague of Doves. The Round House transports readers to the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. It is an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Louise Erdrich has a talent for storytelling that engages and resonates on many levels. The Round House set my brain racing to find answers, my heart aching with empathy, and my muscles twitching for revenge. While this novel echoes Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, it reads more like a William Faulkner novel set in his mythical Yoknapataphwa County. It's a story more revealed than told straight out. Erdrich makes you work a little to get to the bottom of the mystery. She knows that when telling a story with so many dark and tragic elements, it's good to throw in a couple of hearty laughs for balance"; "The Round House is more than a coming-of-age story. The novel has many layers, each beautifully rendered in language that is so pure it belies the complex themes. The search for Geraldine's attacker propels the narrative and in this, it is a tense literary thriller. It is an exploration of tribal law and the protracted effort by the federal government to chip away at Native American sovereignty. Tribal political and judicial limbo is a chord that resonates throughout Erdich's works, yet when told through the perspective of a child it becomes the character's discovery of his legacy and not the political agenda of the author. It is a novel rich with history, mythology and adventure."; "Author Louise Erdrich tells of the broken treaties and land grabs that have affected the Indians and left them powerless in their own lands, weaving them into this mystery and coming of age story. Full of wonderful characters, all with unique and full blown personalities we learn of customs, family relationships and respect for the elderly. Anyone looking for great writing and learning about the Indians should consider reading this excellent novel. It will give you new appreciation for the plight Native Americans have suffered as Washington politicians over centuries have robbed them of their lands, their religion and their way of life."