Reviews with content warning for Death - Indian Horse

This is probably the best examination of inter-generational trauma I've ever read. Indian Horse follows the life off Saul Indian horse, from his early childhood learning bits of his culture with his grandmother to his attempts later in life to cope with the atrocities of the residential school he was placed into.

What gets me with this story is that there's minimal drama presented as time goes on. Saul is examining his life through a journal as he goes through rehab, and there are many events that do or could change the course of his life but remain hidden or muted until later. The behaviour of his parents is pushed aside quickly as he focuses on the love of his grandmother; the abuses at the school are background noise while he learns about his love of hockey; the inaction of his foster parents is unaddressed because he just wants to do the best he can for his team. Saul doesn't really know what he's doing, and he doesn't have many people to lean on, and the people who understand what he's going through best don't know how to grapple with it themselves. It's a tragedy unfolding slowly and quietly over the course of his life.

I've read and heard similar stories many times, but something about Saul rings louder and truer than a lot of other tales. Saul and the people he interacts with and even the reader quietly ignore his traumas to focus on his hockey career, to see how high the young virtuoso can fly, but we can't. They're all seething under the surface, and when they boil over it's a gut punch as we realize what we've done. Maybe if more people had tried to help with his past instead of focusing on his hockey ability we wouldn't need to read this book.

All in all, this is probably the best work of Canadian literature I've ever read and I want to recommend it to just about everybody.

Content Warnings

annemaries_shelves's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wagamese destroyed me with this story in the most necessary way possible.
It's an easy-to-read but heavy novel that grapples with trauma caused by Canadian residential schools (in this specific case, a Catholic residential school in Northern Ontario in the 1960s).

The story of Saul, the truths laid bare within his absolutely beautiful writing, the emotional candour, the pacing and narrative structure, and the absolute love for his people and land make Indian Horse one of the most impactful, well-crafted, and beautiful novels I've read.

Wagamese's passion for hockey truly shines through as well, and I found myself at the edge of my metaphorical seat reading about training, playing games - the beauty of the game alongside the racist experiences Saul and the Moose team experienced by white settlers who believe the game of hockey is theirs alone.
I also particularly appreciated how Wagamese incorporate Objibwe culture and worldviews throughout the novel and how integral Saul's culture and language (despite being forcibly stripped from him) is to his identity and journey.

I feel like I could write an entire essay on this novel and all its themes, narrative choices, character development, etc. but I think I'll leave it here for now. Everyone in North America should read Indian Horse.

I'll be thinking about this novel for a long time.

Content/trigger warnings: significant child physical and sexual abuse, colonial trauma, alcoholism, residential schools, suicide/death, racial slurs

Content Warnings

juliastimpson's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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