Joe and his best friend Cappy are “fire keepers,” charged with keeping the sacred fire going. The round house is a spiritual sweat lodge where tribal members gather to pray. The title THE ROUND HOUSE comes from a significant edifice in the life of Native Americans. We only learn as we progress into the novel how deep the corruption goes. Who was the rapist? How did he come by his particular knowledge of the laws? What was his motivation? How will justice be served? A depraved sequence of events sets the story in motion. He also eats a lot of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.īut at heart of THE ROUND HOUSE is a mystery.
Joe hangs out with his particular circle of three friends, getting up to pre-teen mischief and sleuthing the case. Joe is left more and more on his own, falling back on his extended family which includes his Aunt Clemence and Uncle Edward, his Uncle Whitey and Aunt Sonja and his over-eighty grandfather Mooshum. THE ROUND HOUSE, told from Joe’s point of view, is a coming of age story as Joe’s mother sinks into depression and his father scrabbles to contend with her sadness and slow recovery, while finding a way to navigate the laws in order to get her justice. How could Geraldine learn to survive and thrive as a mother, wife, and contributing member of her tribe, knowing that her violator willfully and maliciously used the rules against her? It was enough to drive her husband, a tribal court judge, and her 13-year son Joe crazed with anger. The story grabs you by the solar plexus of compassion by page five. I was shocked, engrossed, dismayed, angered, indignant and resolutely affected by the story, built on the too-true reality of a rape of a Native American woman and the morass of laws that made it impossible to not only prosecute the offender but convict him. THE ROUND HOUSE, and its New York Times bestseller success, proves that writing remains a mighty instrument, bringing to light and addressing overlooked issues that crave attention. The Round House By Louise Erdrich Review for her circle ezine
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