The premise behind this novel is a great one and I was really looking forward to the read, but it did not follow through for me in execution. The plot presents a very raw depiction of the progression and suppression of Indigenous life under the control of the United States government; the ways in which the unnecessary "management" of these peoples has led to generational struggles.

There were moments in this book that were very visceral and poignant, but they were scattered here and there while the tone wavered. I had a hard time bonding with the voice behind the book due to the organization of the story. It is appropriately titled as "Wandering". The movement from one story to the next with loose connection and no real transition made me feel untethered and I really had a hard time developing a deep care for the characters. Just as I was beginning to get intot the story and the character introspection started to expand, that piece of the tale would abruptly end and the narrative would shift to another character. It felt very disjointed and I had a hard time sticking with the story.

The message behind this novel is a good one. There do need to be more tales like this, being honest and revealing the secrets that have been held in American history as to how the different cultures in this "melting pot" were treated based on color of skin and location of origin. Humanity needs to learn lessons from the past in order to rectify the present. This particular novel and narrative style just wasn't the right one for me.