A review by bhnmt61
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

5.0

Previous books I've read by Erdrich have felt a little too much like they were written with an agenda--and even when I agree with the agenda, I have a hard time with that type of book. This one was different. It's just the story of a Chippewa tribe in Minnesota in the 1950s, the families and the times and what their lives were like. There are two sisters, one supporting her family with a factory job, the other who has disappeared in the Twin Cities; there's a young man who falls in love with an abandoned baby; there are parents raising their families however they can while holding on to their traditions; there are a few white people, some of whom "get it," but most don't. Most especially there is Thomas, a tribal leader who is working tirelessly to make sure the government doesn't terminate his people, aided by an owl and the ghost of his long-dead childhood best friend. The Night Watchman makes the same point as the more agenda-heavy books without the agenda being so front and center, and it is a wonderful, heartbreaking read. Highly recommended, but the caveats: it is not a quick read, and some of the many storylines woven in throughout are not as interesting as others. Just keep going. I was more than halfway before I was fully absorbed, even though it is interesting right from the start--and then I didn't want it to end.