Why did Geraldine take the unusual step of going to her office on a Sunday, the day when the attack took place? Who stuffed tens of thousands of dollars inside a doll left floating in a local lake? Erdrich certainly did not set out to write a bestseller but so much more might have been made of a potentially page-turning plot.The Round House, which examines an instance of sexual violence against Joe’s mother Geraldine, explores the particular difficulties faced by Native women and how those struggles stem from an often-toxic culture surrounding sexuality, tribal identity, and gender.Īlthough Erdrich’s book is a work of fiction, Geraldine’s violent rape is part of a real phenomenon: Native women are far more likely to experience sexual violence than non-Native women and men.

However, as well as the central mystery of who committed the rape, other questions are answered almost as asides. The result is the moving tale of a boy forced to grow up too soon and in the most painful way imaginable. The Round House (which takes its name from the reservation's social hub and the location of Geraldine's attack) would have been no less a work of art for developing the tension alongside our sympathy for poor Joe. The mystery of identifying the culprit and the danger of pursuing him is not the driving force of the novel. Joe feels he has to do whatever it takes to make his mother feel safe again in the hope that normal life can resume, forcing him to make terrible and brave choices. However, in terms of reading for pleasure, chunks of the novel lack narrative drive. Detailed and nuanced, it is Erdrich's portrayal of the Native American reservation that makes The Round House stand out as a work of literary fiction.

There are also several stories-within-stories about other members of the community, developing our understanding of a marginalised people.

The boys' energetic efforts to identify the rapist, assisted by their friends Zack and Angus, are poignantly interweaved with typical teenage boys' adventures and banter. It also has its share of love and touching loyalty, though.Įspecially endearing is the relationship between Joe and his best friend Cappy. The Coutts family are members of a poor, somewhat seedy community and a casually violent one too (Erdrich notes in her Afterword that one in three Native American women will be raped).

The round house louise erdrich reviews