The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

 

On the docket for discussion this month was The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich, with Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zusak, on deck for May's meeting (here's hoping we'll be able to gather together outdoors for that conversation~ we'll keep you all posted~ while keeping our fingers crossed!).

As promised, we voted for our next year's reading list at the close of this month's meeting. Here's the results, in no intended order:

1. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

2. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb

3. The Deep, Deep Snow, by Brian Freeman

4. The Lager Queen of Minnesota, by Ryan Stradal

5. Voices in the Stones, by Kent Nerburn

6. The Boy from the Woods, by Harlan Coben

7. Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo

8. The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

9. The Book of Two Ways, by Jodi Picoult

10. The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah

11. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, by Heidi Durrow

12. Nazi Wives, by James Wyllie 

While no official order has been set, we did decide on The Lager Queen of Minnesota, by Ryan Stradal, as June's book club selection for those of you who like to read ahead. We'll get the rest of the books lined up, and the new reading schedule posted and available soon! Thank you to everyone who voted!

Without further delay~

It's 1953 and Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. Thomas and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny she has to find and follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life. 

With the exception of one, all of the attending members liked this read. Those in favor said they really liked the vivid descriptions of the cast of characters connecting with the Earth; detailing their favorite individual elements. It was said that the character development in this book was really good, with Thomas and Patrice picked as the two favorite protagonists. Members marveled at their strength, courage, and perseverance within the trials they faced. Those who have read some of Erdrich's work before commented that this was her best, most uplifting, book yet. 

In contrast, it was said this book was hard to get into, and harder still to stay engaged with. It felt clumsy and disjointed throughout, and the longer list of characters were hard to keep straight. It was felt there were unnecessary characters with irrelevant plot lines, some unbelievable parts, and a few significant loose ends left undone in the end.

Have you read this or any other works of Ms. Erdrich? If so, would you agree this is her best novel to date?

 

At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3 stars