Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
Big Chief is a twisty story about politics on "the Rez"... there is lots of corruption, overwhelming greed, and who has absolute control. As I read the story, the quote above echoed in my head.
The story focuses on a young lawyer, Mitch Caddo, and his struggles to feel like he "belongs" and the story is woven with his memories of growing up outside of the reservation and feeling a bit lost and not belonging anywhere. At the start of the story, it seems like he has picked the "wrong side" and he is happy to live with that... or is he.
The writing in this story was really so very good. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy of this book. It was published on April 8, 2025.
Big Chief is a twisty story about politics on "the Rez"... there is lots of corruption, overwhelming greed, and who has absolute control. As I read the story, the quote above echoed in my head.
The story focuses on a young lawyer, Mitch Caddo, and his struggles to feel like he "belongs" and the story is woven with his memories of growing up outside of the reservation and feeling a bit lost and not belonging anywhere. At the start of the story, it seems like he has picked the "wrong side" and he is happy to live with that... or is he.
The writing in this story was really so very good. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy of this book. It was published on April 8, 2025.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story of family, identity, and self determination. A political thriller, the Passage Rouge Nation of Anishinaabe are set to have elections for the reservation president. There is much political fighting, all the above board and under handed stuff you'd expect, but there is more. Things escalate to removing members from the tribal rolls, to violence, and maybe murder...
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slow paced but excellent. Interesting look at what we tell ourselves we need to do to find belonging.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Whew, this book. I needed to sit with it for a minute before I wrote this review.
My worry is that the general masses, those who don’t have access to or knowledge of Native relations, sovereignty, the complexities of tribal councils, will think this is what happens with all elections. While yes, there are often unexpected interpersonal connections and dramas that unfold come election time, the author presents a circumstance that is incredibly violent—an uprising of sorts. In all my years growing up and living close to reservations and working with tribes, I’ve never once seen something like what is described in the book.
However, the story is told well. The characters are complex, and the main character is a morally grey lawyer/fixer who it’s easy to be mad at. I’d encourage you to read it, but also understand that the situation is pretty far-fetched.
My worry is that the general masses, those who don’t have access to or knowledge of Native relations, sovereignty, the complexities of tribal councils, will think this is what happens with all elections. While yes, there are often unexpected interpersonal connections and dramas that unfold come election time, the author presents a circumstance that is incredibly violent—an uprising of sorts. In all my years growing up and living close to reservations and working with tribes, I’ve never once seen something like what is described in the book.
However, the story is told well. The characters are complex, and the main character is a morally grey lawyer/fixer who it’s easy to be mad at. I’d encourage you to read it, but also understand that the situation is pretty far-fetched.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5 This is a well-written literary fiction with a lot of insight into different layers of relationships and how those carve paths and choices. I was attracted to the novel because the main character seems to be a morally grey lawyer who fixes political outcomes but also the relevance of casinos in the degradation, power, and greed of people's lives. It took a turn that I wasn't expecting to make it a (new genre to me, kind of read) an interesting fiction read with a lot of relatable moments.
I’m 30% in and I still can’t get a true sense of Mitch. Just a lot of boring, confusing internal dialogue and there doesn’t seem to be any acceleration of the pace of the story. I had to stop because I really wasn’t enjoying it.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Jon Hickey for the early copy of Big Chief.
A decent debut novel. It’s pretty slow paced, but once I fell into a rhythm with it I didn’t mind. I think this one will land best with fans of political intrigue and historical fiction. Looking forward to Hickey’s next book!
A decent debut novel. It’s pretty slow paced, but once I fell into a rhythm with it I didn’t mind. I think this one will land best with fans of political intrigue and historical fiction. Looking forward to Hickey’s next book!
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was okay. I felt like the plot was disjointed which made what should have been a more tense rising action and climax feel like it came out of nowhere and then didn’t deliver on an emotional payout. The characters had some interesting traits but I had a bit of a hard time connecting to them. This book is being compared to There, There and I think beyond just some surface level similarities this doesn’t have that same propulsion and intricate web of relationships that Tommy Orange really knows how to do.
I did like the general structure of this book and thought the setting was interesting and gave some nice context for the way tribal elections work, and I liked that the story was about Anishinaabe characters. In general I don’t think I would go out of my way to recommend this to people but I also think there will be people who really enjoy it.
I received a free arc from the publisher.
I did like the general structure of this book and thought the setting was interesting and gave some nice context for the way tribal elections work, and I liked that the story was about Anishinaabe characters. In general I don’t think I would go out of my way to recommend this to people but I also think there will be people who really enjoy it.
I received a free arc from the publisher.