''LaRose'' is a novel by the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

author

Louise Erdrich Karen Louise Erdrich ( ; born June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dako ...

, published in 2016 by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. The novel features the same setting as Erdrich's 2012 novel '' The Round House.'' The book received positive reviews from literary publications. It won the 2016

National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, established in 1976,North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

on an

reservation in the "era of George W. Bush and 9/11." The novel's protagonist is LaRose Iron, a young Native American boy. His father, Landreaux Iron, accidentally shoots LaRose's best friend and neighbor, Dusty Ravich, also 5 years old, in a hunting accident, when the

buck Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a United States, Canadian, or Australian dollar * An adult male animal in some species - see List of animal names - e.g.: ** Goat buck ** Deer buck ** Sheep buck * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bu ...

Landreaux had aimed at suddenly moved from in front of the boy. Dusty's parents, Peter and Nola, are devastated by his death. To compensate for their loss, following an ancient custom, LaRose's parents, Landreaux and Emmaline, give him to Dusty's family after speaking with a priest and visiting a

sweat lodge A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, and made with natural materials. The structure is the ''lodge'', and the ceremony performed within the structure may be called by some cultures a purification ceremony or simply ...

, to find a way to resolve their guilt. While Peter and Nola are initially reluctant to accept LaRose into their family, perceiving it as an act of betrayal towards their own dead son, they soon warm to him. LaRose later helps protect Nola as she deals with

suicidal ideation Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas or ruminations about the possibility of dying by suicide.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal i ...

. The story also introduces the stories of several of LaRose's ancestors, who were sent to residential schools and endured many traumatic experiences. The first person in the family to be named LaRose, an Ojibwe woman, was a young girl in 1839 when her mother sold her at a trading post. She is raped and later participates in the murder of her rapist. After her death, her remains are stolen by white "scientists".

Critical reception

It received positive reviews from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''

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.'' ''

'' gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, while ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' described it as a "page-turner," ''The Kansas City Star'' described it as "brutally beautiful," and ''The A.V. Club'' described it as "everything you want a novel to be." ''LaRose'' was described by ''The Washington Post'' as a "masterly tale of grief and love" and by ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' as a "brilliant, subtle exploration of tragic histories."

Awards and honors

References

External

{{Authority control 2016 American novels HarperCollins books Novels by Louise Erdrich National Book Critics Circle Award–winning works Novels set in North Dakota Native American novels