A review by laylay2
Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book, while heartbreaking, is an important book to read. The humanization of missing and murdered Native American women is integral to this book. Even though it is fiction, its characters and situation are not fictitious in its possibility. 

I loved how the book showed a beautiful, cohesive, and healthy family on a Native American reservation be stretched to the limit by the colonialist and oppressive stressors that the pipeline workers brought to their reservation. It humanized the characters by not focusing on the stereotypes of native peoples but instead contextualizing how they live and react in a humanistic lense. 

I think this book caught me at an unfortunate time. I was already kinda sad and upset and reading this book made me even more sad. But this book was important to me to finish and I did at my own pace. I’m really glad I did. The book displays the horrors that have happened to Native American women, the lack of support they receive from the outside, and how resilient and community oriented they are to overcome such trauma.