The Round House
Ratings71
Average rating4.1
From one of the most revered novelists of our time, an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.
One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface because Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.
While his father, a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.
The Round House is a page-turning masterpiece—at once a powerful coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a tender, moving novel of family, history, and culture.
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Popular Reviews
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Some might describe this book as a coming-of-age novel, but it is so much more. It's about something horrific that happens, a mystery, growing pains, tribal lore. Really spectacular writing with a heart wrenching plot.
I did not find this book as riveting as most reviewers, but loved, loved the characters so much, especially the small family at the center. This is my first Erdrich, and I was so pleased to find that the characters are present in her other stories.
The Round House is an unflinching look at trauma and it's effect on family and community. I loved the way Erdrich used a first-person adult narrator recounting events that happened in his youth. I found that it brought another level of reflection to an already mature character. Most of this novel was a gut punch, but it's had moments of hilarity and joy that you could truly feel. I loved the way that memory and storytelling from elders was woven into the narrative - if you know me, I'm a SUCKER for when that device is used and used extremely well, much like in this story.
I really enjoyed this novel and I can't wait to read her other works!
Please read the CW before starting this novel. There isn't too much graphic content, but it could be triggering for some. Also, there aren't any quotation marks denoting conversations or lines of dialogue, so that may took a few pages to get used to.
