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annreadsabook's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"People don't understand how hard it is to be Indian . . . I'm not talking about all the sad history. I'm talking about a way of life that demands your best every single day. Being Dakhóta means every step you take is a prayer."
At once a homecoming novel, a story about the scars passed down through generations as a result of racial violence, and a love letter to the land and the Indigenous women who seek to protect it, The Seed Keeper is a beautiful novel that leaves quite an impression. It's also a provocative read as we continue to consider the ways in which large corporations and developed countries contribute to the deterioration of our environment at the expense of those who have lived and loved the land for ages.
Wilson's novel focuses on the life and lineage of Rosalie Iron Wing, a Dakhóta woman who delves further into her past and heritage, including her separation from her now-deceased father and from her Dakhóta community, after her white husband passes away. Along the way, Wilson introduces us to a variety of women to whom Rosalie can trace her lineage, and throughout this literary journey Wilson considers what it means to care for and pursue one's traditions, land, and community when so much has been forcibly taken.
I was particularly struck by the ways in which Rosalie pursued the continuation of her heritage through her son, named Tommy by her white husband but secretly named Wakpá (river) by Rosalie. The ways in which Rosalie sought to protect the water that was threatened by agricultural chemicals neatly paralleled the ways Rosalie sought to keep Wakpá appreciative and protective of his Dakhóta heritage.
All in all, The Seed Keeper is an incredibly bittersweet work that will be on my mind for some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Colonisation
bedtimesandbooks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, and Suicide
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