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A review by mnboyer
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
5.0
Read this in a day... it is that good
I pre-ordered The Round House because Erdrich is one of my favorite authors. I picked this book up and read it within a day, as it is truly an amazing novel for both Native and non-Native readers. You literally have to have no knowledge of American Indian history to pick this novel up and appreciate it.
The story revolves around Joe, a 13-year-old boy whose mother is brutally raped and almost murdered by unknown attackers. Due to tribal vs. state jurisdiction issues, the rape and attempted murder agains Joe's mother is brushed aside. Joe begins delving into the law to try and understand how these types of attacks can be allowed to happen. Erdrich's novel very much mirrors the stark reality facing Indian Country today, both in the States and in Canada. One in three Indigenous women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and in many cases due to jurisdiction issues, attackers are never found, questioned, or arrested. What Erdrich weaves is a fictional story that is very much the reality for Indigenous women throughout North America.
Of Erdrich's work, I contend that this may very well be the best novel she has ever written. The characters are complex, have agency, and their personal struggles feel very real to the reader. I absolutely loved this novel and recommend it all the time --especially to individuals that are reading Indigenous literature for the first time. Also, you don't need to have read any of Erdrich's other work to appreciate this novel.
The Round House was probably the best novel I read in 2012. It is definitely one of the best novels I've read in the past decade. Definitely pick it up and give it a try.
I pre-ordered The Round House because Erdrich is one of my favorite authors. I picked this book up and read it within a day, as it is truly an amazing novel for both Native and non-Native readers. You literally have to have no knowledge of American Indian history to pick this novel up and appreciate it.
The story revolves around Joe, a 13-year-old boy whose mother is brutally raped and almost murdered by unknown attackers. Due to tribal vs. state jurisdiction issues, the rape and attempted murder agains Joe's mother is brushed aside. Joe begins delving into the law to try and understand how these types of attacks can be allowed to happen. Erdrich's novel very much mirrors the stark reality facing Indian Country today, both in the States and in Canada. One in three Indigenous women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and in many cases due to jurisdiction issues, attackers are never found, questioned, or arrested. What Erdrich weaves is a fictional story that is very much the reality for Indigenous women throughout North America.
Of Erdrich's work, I contend that this may very well be the best novel she has ever written. The characters are complex, have agency, and their personal struggles feel very real to the reader. I absolutely loved this novel and recommend it all the time --especially to individuals that are reading Indigenous literature for the first time. Also, you don't need to have read any of Erdrich's other work to appreciate this novel.
The Round House was probably the best novel I read in 2012. It is definitely one of the best novels I've read in the past decade. Definitely pick it up and give it a try.