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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-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
4,5*
I don't know where I heard the term "Rez-noir" first, but this novels certainly fits. It ticks all the boxes we usually identify with the genre: first person narration from a pov of the brooding hero who doesn't have a lot of fate in the system and the people, the neverending circle of corruption, the injustice... but set in Rosebud Indian Reservation.
Virgil Wounded Horse is local enforcer. He earns his money by serving some misplaced justice. When councilman and father of his ex girlfriend asks him to look into possibility of heroin trade entering the reservation, Virgil is not sure if he should get involved. But when the danger hits too close to home, he doesn't have a choice.
If the term local enforcer sounds too vague, it's possibly the best knowing how the enforcement system actually works in reservations. Per Author's note at the end of the book:
When most serious crimes, the ones you actually can believe people will want justice for, are not dealt with, the existence of local vigilantes is quite believable (and reasonable). I'd like to say that vigilantism as lucrative business makes for perfect anti-heroes, but we actually open a book with Virgil doing a freeby because "it's the right thing to do." So, as much as Virgil is marred by cynicism and nihilism (it's a must in noir), we know where he falls on moral grounds. He is a good guy. And you know what? In his case that cynicism and nihilism is actually more than justified. Beside all the hardships of people living in reservations you are perhaps familiar with or not, Virgil is also not full-blooded Lakota which made his childhood and life that much harder since he never felt like he belonged. It's the fate that follows his fourteen year old nephew he is taking care of after the his sister died in an accident. And if you're not convinced, by the end of this novel you will discover just how expandable these poor people are to the powerful. Hence, along the thriller ride, Winter Counts is also about Virgil coming to peace about himself, going back to Lakota ways and embracing his culture.
Plotwise, story was full-non stop ride with somewhat predictable twists and turns. But setting, life in reservation and Lakota culture, was written with knowledge and nuance and it immensely enriched the book.
Excellent debut for David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Recommended.
I don't know where I heard the term "Rez-noir" first, but this novels certainly fits. It ticks all the boxes we usually identify with the genre: first person narration from a pov of the brooding hero who doesn't have a lot of fate in the system and the people, the neverending circle of corruption, the injustice... but set in Rosebud Indian Reservation.
Virgil Wounded Horse is local enforcer. He earns his money by serving some misplaced justice. When councilman and father of his ex girlfriend asks him to look into possibility of heroin trade entering the reservation, Virgil is not sure if he should get involved. But when the danger hits too close to home, he doesn't have a choice.
If the term local enforcer sounds too vague, it's possibly the best knowing how the enforcement system actually works in reservations. Per Author's note at the end of the book:
"Because of the Major Crimes Act passed by the US Congress in 1885, federal investigators generally have exclusive jurisdiction over felony crimes on reservations, yet they often decline prosecution in these cases, even when the perpetrator has been apprehended. Although the percentages vary from year to year, federal authorities frequently refuse to prosecute murders, assaults, and sex crimes referred from tribal police departments.
When most serious crimes, the ones you actually can believe people will want justice for, are not dealt with, the existence of local vigilantes is quite believable (and reasonable). I'd like to say that vigilantism as lucrative business makes for perfect anti-heroes, but we actually open a book with Virgil doing a freeby because "it's the right thing to do." So, as much as Virgil is marred by cynicism and nihilism (it's a must in noir), we know where he falls on moral grounds. He is a good guy. And you know what? In his case that cynicism and nihilism is actually more than justified. Beside all the hardships of people living in reservations you are perhaps familiar with or not, Virgil is also not full-blooded Lakota which made his childhood and life that much harder since he never felt like he belonged. It's the fate that follows his fourteen year old nephew he is taking care of after the his sister died in an accident. And if you're not convinced, by the end of this novel you will discover just how expandable these poor people are to the powerful. Hence, along the thriller ride, Winter Counts is also about Virgil coming to peace about himself, going back to Lakota ways and embracing his culture.
Plotwise, story was full-non stop ride with somewhat predictable twists and turns. But setting, life in reservation and Lakota culture, was written with knowledge and nuance and it immensely enriched the book.
Excellent debut for David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Recommended.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Got about half way through it. When I saw the direction it was heading, I just couldn't do it. Even if the book had a hopeful happy ending, I wasn't willing to go through the hopelessness to get to it. Just not for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A balancing act between realism and a vigilante quest which, most of the time, I would say is quite successful.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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