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Description edit
In this bittersweet coming-of-age tale, Erdrich returns to the fictional setting of many of her novels, a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation. There, in the spring of 1988, 13-year-old Joe's mother is raped; when efforts to bring the attacker to justice are thwarted by a labyrinth of laws... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Joe Coutts: 13-year-old boy; son of Geraldine and Bazil; narrator
- Clemence: Geraldine's sister
- Geraldine Coutts: Joe's mother
- Edward: Clemences's husband; science teacher
- Mooshum: Joe's grandfather; father of Geraldine, Clemence and Whitey
- Vince Madwesin: Tribal policeman; stepfather of Joe's friend Zack Peace
- Whitey: Joe's uncle; wife Sonja; Joseph and Evalina children from his first marriage
- Cappy Lafournais: Virgil Lafournais, nicknamed Cappy, is Joe's smart and sensitive best friend and catnip to the girls.
- Zack Peace: A friend of Joe's.
- Angus Kashpaw: A friend of Joe's.
- Pearl: Clemence's dog
- Randall Lafouenais: Cappy's older brother; nicknamed Birkenstock
- OpiChi: Functioned as Joe's father's reservation eyes
- Bazil Coutts: Joe's father; a tribal judge.
- Linden Lark: A person of interest; Linda's twin brother.
- Linda Wishkob: Linden Lark's twin sister who was rejected at birth by the Larks' because she was deformed. Linda was raised and adopted by the Wishkobs, an Indian family.
- Mayla Wolfskin: Young woman who worked for the governor of South Dakota; a friend of Geraldine
- Sonja: Whitey's wife; an ex-stripper; estranged daughter is Murphy
- Zelia: Visiting girl from Helena, Montana attending the Youth Encounter Christ camp.
- Neal: Initiated Joe, Angus, Zack into the church's summer camp called Youth Encounter Christ.
- Curtis Yeltow: Governor of South Dakota
- Tanya: Mayla's daughter
- Father Travis: Catholic priest
- Doe Lafournais: Father of Cappy and Randall
- Soren Bjerke: Special agent for the FBI
- Bugger Pourier: A drunk on the Ojibwe reservation who tries to steal Joe's bike.
Quotes edit
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“Say your Hail Marys....silently. (Father Travis)”
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“There's a beautiful girl nobody else has noticed. You be the one to notice her. (Father Travis)”
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“Doe had built a little deck onto the front of the house and it was filled, as all of our decks tend to be, with useful refuse.”
Setting & Locations edit
- Ojibwe Reservation: Where the novel takes place; home to Joe Coutts and his family and friends.
- Fargo, North Dakota: Joe and his mom stay at a hotel there while Joe's dad is in St. Luke's Hospital.
- Bismarck, North Dakota: Nearby city where many rez dwellers went to buy food and supplies.
- Hoopdance: A town close to the rez.
First Sentence edit
Small trees had attacked my parents' house at the foundation.
Table of Contents edit
1. 1988
2 . Lonely Among Us
3. Justice
4. Loud as a Whisper
5. The Naked Now
6. Datalore
7 . Angel One
8. Hide and Q
9. The Big Good-bye
10. Skin of Evil
11. The Child
Afterword
Errata edit
He looked at other woman. Should be "...other women". Location 3076
Authors & Contributors edit
- Louise Erdrich (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: U.S.A.
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-206524-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: U.S.A.
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-206524-7
Page Count: 336
Awards edit
- National Book Award (2012: Fiction)
- Alex Awards (2013)
Subjects edit
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