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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Winter Counts
David Heska Wanbli Weiden
TW: drugs, alcohol, addiction, OD, suicide, child death, adult death, SA, physical assault, police brutality, corruption
Trigger warnings aside, this is an incredibly book. Despite having seemingly nothing in common with the main character, I felt immediate connection that lasted throughout the story.
The main character is a Native American living on a reservation trying to deliver justice for his community. He’s approached to help with the increasing drug epidemic.
The story takes twists and turns with his personal life, love life, business affairs and this new endeavor all intertwining.
A truly spectacular ending.
Definitely recommend.
David Heska Wanbli Weiden
TW: drugs, alcohol, addiction, OD, suicide, child death, adult death, SA, physical assault, police brutality, corruption
Trigger warnings aside, this is an incredibly book. Despite having seemingly nothing in common with the main character, I felt immediate connection that lasted throughout the story.
The main character is a Native American living on a reservation trying to deliver justice for his community. He’s approached to help with the increasing drug epidemic.
The story takes twists and turns with his personal life, love life, business affairs and this new endeavor all intertwining.
A truly spectacular ending.
Definitely recommend.
I simply loved this. I haven't read mystery/crime fiction beyond a Mary Higgins Clark phase many moons ago, so some of the butt-kicking badassery was initially lost on me as "unrealistic," but I'm sure if there's one thing the crime fiction world is missing it's one that centers Indigenous vigilante justice. What a delightful novel. If you'd like to borrow a hardcopy, let me know and I'll send you mine.
A gritty crime tale of family, drugs and justice steeped in Lakota culture. Winter Counts follows Virgil Wounded Horse, a local enforcer, when heroin is brought in to the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
That first chapter - WOW, it just yanked me right in and I was ready to see how far Virgil would go to protect the reservation. The twists were well plotted with many suspicious characters. Virgil's characterization of struggling to find his place as a biracial man and pseudo father to his nephew is at the crux of this novel.
The Lakota language and culture was beautifully woven into this hard-hitting story and I had no idea how far the lack of law enforcement went on reservations. This was eye-opening in terms of social issues faced by Indigenous peoples, including lack of healthy food options and problematic healthcare systems.
My only qualm was I found that the pacing stalled by the halfway point to the end, which had me a little less interested due to less grit. I do look forward to Wisdom Corner, book two of Virgil Wounded Horse, because his character is what really drew me in!
That first chapter - WOW, it just yanked me right in and I was ready to see how far Virgil would go to protect the reservation. The twists were well plotted with many suspicious characters. Virgil's characterization of struggling to find his place as a biracial man and pseudo father to his nephew is at the crux of this novel.
The Lakota language and culture was beautifully woven into this hard-hitting story and I had no idea how far the lack of law enforcement went on reservations. This was eye-opening in terms of social issues faced by Indigenous peoples, including lack of healthy food options and problematic healthcare systems.
My only qualm was I found that the pacing stalled by the halfway point to the end, which had me a little less interested due to less grit. I do look forward to Wisdom Corner, book two of Virgil Wounded Horse, because his character is what really drew me in!
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75 stars, just to make it complicated.
The best part of the book was learning about Native American culture and laws on the reservation.
The main character was funny, entertaining, and great to follow along with. He grew substantially in his appreciation for his history and culture, which proved a turning point in his quest.
It’s a stretch to call this a thriller. Blacktop Wasteland is a thriller, in my opinion. This book spent about 60 pages (~20%) in potential thriller territory. Much less than I anticipated and was hoping for.
However, I recommend the book. I’d simply lower your expectations for a thrill ride.
The best part of the book was learning about Native American culture and laws on the reservation.
The main character was funny, entertaining, and great to follow along with. He grew substantially in his appreciation for his history and culture, which proved a turning point in his quest.
It’s a stretch to call this a thriller. Blacktop Wasteland is a thriller, in my opinion. This book spent about 60 pages (~20%) in potential thriller territory. Much less than I anticipated and was hoping for.
However, I recommend the book. I’d simply lower your expectations for a thrill ride.
2.5 stars, probably. For a thriller, there isn’t a lot going on in this book. It feels like just as much time is devoted to the subplot about changing the diets of the people on the reservation and abroad as the main plot about the drug dealings. Even though this book was not as fast paced as I would have hoped, I didn’t have a hard time getting through it since the chapters were short. Enough was going on to pull my attention in, but it definitely didn’t feel like the pacing of a thriller, which is more of what I was expecting. Only the last fifth of the book felt like a thriller, and it wasn’t enough to make the rest of the book worth it. Near the end
The setting was interesting, I enjoyed the focus on the socioeconomic problems of the people on the reservation, and it did feel like a nuanced perspective, which is what I would expect from the author Weiden who himself is Lakota. Winter Counts was informative in a way that I wouldn’t expect from thrillers, especially in criticizing the justice system when other crime stories in media offer pretty one-sided views.
One of my biggest problems with this book was the writing. It just felt so bare-bones, so plain that it wasn’t very engaging. All “tell” and no “show.”
Ultimately this book wasn’t painful to get through but when I finished it I was underwhelmed. I doubt I’ll remember this story and these characters for too long.
Spoiler
Although this subplot does somewhat tie into the main plot, with Lack’s connection to the embezzlement and fraud surrounding the grant money. Also I’m not sure how he got away with it in the end, since Marie pointed out earlier that there’s a paper trail leading to him so his fraud was inseparable from Ben and Delia’s fraud.Spoiler
the violence was kind of a lot for me, and I don’t usually have an issue with violence in books. Additionally, I felt that the author was trying to make a point by having Virgil spare Rick Crow...but then he goes on to brutally murder one of the guys with Nathan so what was the point of that?The setting was interesting, I enjoyed the focus on the socioeconomic problems of the people on the reservation, and it did feel like a nuanced perspective, which is what I would expect from the author Weiden who himself is Lakota. Winter Counts was informative in a way that I wouldn’t expect from thrillers, especially in criticizing the justice system when other crime stories in media offer pretty one-sided views.
One of my biggest problems with this book was the writing. It just felt so bare-bones, so plain that it wasn’t very engaging. All “tell” and no “show.”
Ultimately this book wasn’t painful to get through but when I finished it I was underwhelmed. I doubt I’ll remember this story and these characters for too long.