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paxtyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Joe's personal liminality is reflected in Erdrich's depiction of life on the reservation. We take long detours through Catholicism and the local church and see the ways in which colonizing religions have influenced various people and families in their tribe, and we sense the disharmony of these traditions and their own. In the end, as Joe journeys toward revenge, he finds himself seeking reassurance and validation in both Catholic and Ojibwe tradition, alternately leaning on stories of Sins Crying out for Vengeance and the wiindigoo. Erdrich sets the crime itself in just such a liminal space - occurring, in part, within the Round House, a sacred space for the Ojibwe, but occurring in part at an intersection of tribal and "fee" lands. This liminality becomes the crux of the injustice in our story, and Erdrich shows us how the very real lack of sovereignty for Indigenous communities undermines their ability to protect themselves and their lands, and how it has specifically betrayed Indigenous victims of sexual violence.
There is so much that can be said about how Erdrich builds the narrative - the lack of quotation marks that give it a stream of consciousness feel at times, the storytelling woven throughout, the anecdotal detours, the wide cast of characters and the decision to confine the story to Joe's point of view. Altogether, these decisions create a world haunted by many ghosts, one in which we can see the ripples of action and inaction across people and generations, and one in which justice feels illusory.
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Car accident
lisettemarie's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Grief, and Colonisation
pettywhaler's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
audreyolejasz's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
aidareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and Colonisation
tiffanykw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
lorenag5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
bangishimokwe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Colonisation
poisonenvy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book in beautifully written and wonderfully told. The prose flows. There's an uncomfortable juxtaposition of the rape of Joe's mother, and Joe's own views on women, just beginning to form, but I found that it was handled quite well.
This was a book club read, and I was glad for the opportunity to read it (especially to read it with my friends!)
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Murder