On the Real Reservation
"Night of the Living Rez" offers twelve short stories portraying life in Maine's Native Penobscot Nation. Author Morgan Talty shows us seasons in the life of David, a young man growing up on the reservation with his family. It is a tough existence where the fear of an evil curse walks alongside the ravages of drug addiction and the stresses of poverty. David's mother is in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic part-time medicine man. Methadone treatments are crucial crutches to David and his friends. His sister, Paige, is tragically sucked into mental illness spurred on by, among other things, the death of her baby from methadone withdrawal seizures. In one unforgettable chapter David's grandmother, suffering from Alzheimer's, is convinced he is her long dead twelve year old brother. Rather than being repulsed, he is amazed that he can bring relief to his grandmother's nightmare.
There is a lot of loss in these stories, but there is a consistent feed of wit and humor. David and his family have always had struggles and have the mindset to survive. These passages give a very believable account of real people, not stereotypes, and enable us to relate to problems in a community very different from the ones most of us know. Morgan Talty agreed with writer Louis Owens that he was not interested in giving just "a comfortable, easy tour of colorful Indian Country". This is an incredible book penned by an exciting new voice.
"I mean, I can hear what Donald Trump once said as he testified before a House subcommittee about one tribe's casino: 'They don't look like Indians to me'" (Author in quote from advance reader copy).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"Night of the Living Rez" offers twelve short stories portraying life in Maine's Native Penobscot Nation. Author Morgan Talty shows us seasons in the life of David, a young man growing up on the reservation with his family. It is a tough existence where the fear of an evil curse walks alongside the ravages of drug addiction and the stresses of poverty. David's mother is in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic part-time medicine man. Methadone treatments are crucial crutches to David and his friends. His sister, Paige, is tragically sucked into mental illness spurred on by, among other things, the death of her baby from methadone withdrawal seizures. In one unforgettable chapter David's grandmother, suffering from Alzheimer's, is convinced he is her long dead twelve year old brother. Rather than being repulsed, he is amazed that he can bring relief to his grandmother's nightmare.
There is a lot of loss in these stories, but there is a consistent feed of wit and humor. David and his family have always had struggles and have the mindset to survive. These passages give a very believable account of real people, not stereotypes, and enable us to relate to problems in a community very different from the ones most of us know. Morgan Talty agreed with writer Louis Owens that he was not interested in giving just "a comfortable, easy tour of colorful Indian Country". This is an incredible book penned by an exciting new voice.
"I mean, I can hear what Donald Trump once said as he testified before a House subcommittee about one tribe's casino: 'They don't look like Indians to me'" (Author in quote from advance reader copy).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
