Louise Erdrich
The Round House by Louise Erdrich takes the form of the extended flashback of Joe Coutts, an Ojibwe lawyer and tribal judge. In his first-person narrative, Joe recalls the year 1988 when he turned 13 years-old and lived with his parents on a North Dakota reservation.
The novel opens on a day when Joe’s life, the life of his parents, and of the entire reservation is turned upside down. His mother, a tribal clerk, is raped, brutally beaten, and barely survives the assault on her life. She manages to escape her attacker but is so traumatized by the experience that she withdraws into herself, refusing to describe what happened or to reveal the name of her attacker. When she is finally able to do so, the offender is temporarily arrested but then released due to a lack of evidence and because the labyrinthine laws that govern a reservation and its surrounding areas make prosecution all but impossible. When the offender is released, Joe decides to take matters into his own hands and execute vengeance. He is assisted by his closest friend.
The novel charts the daily activities of Joe and his three friends. They spend their days in bouts of beer drinking, searching for clues and evidence that will incriminate the culprit, spying on potential suspects, riding their bikes, and exchanging gossip about members of the tribe. Joe peppers the narrative with folklore and legends shared by elder tribal members.
A brutal act of violence catapults Joe in this coming-of-age story. The interiority of a thirteen-year-old boy is described with authenticity. While his hormones rage, he tries to stay focused on avenging his mother. Joe is buffered by family and a supporting cast of tribal members who suspect what he has done but who understand why he did it and are prepared to overlook his action. His determination to set things right has lasting consequences on his self-image, and on his relationship with his parents and friends
The narrative starts slowly but the pace accelerates at almost a break-neck speed during the second half. The characters are well-drawn and authentic, with each one speaking in a unique voice. What emerges from the novel is the close, loving bond between Joe and his parents and the cushion of support they receive from the tribe.
Erdrich does a masterful job of laying out the difference between justice and revenge. When justice fails, the all-consuming desire for revenge takes over. And this desire has long-lasting consequences on a teenage boy whose world has been torn apart and whose only wish is to piece it back together. The qualities of courage, resilience, and the determination to keep going in spite of violence, injustice, legal loopholes, and seemingly insurmountable challenges are what binds the family and the larger community together.