Trisha D. (lectio) reviewed on 3/1/2016 + 88 more book reviews

I had a difficult time staying with this book even though I've read most all of Erdrich's other novels that feature these same characters. She is a wonderful writer and her books, set in a fictional North Dakota Ojibwe reservation beginning in the early part of the 20th century up until the present day, have been favorites of mine. Her characters are rich and complex and they show up again and again in her books at different points in their lives as well as at different points in their family's complicated histories. So it's not always easy trying to keep track of them and for some reason I found it especially difficult in this novel. Like most of her books, Erdrich uses a non-linear storyline in this one in order to weave back and forth between 1910 and 1997. The narrative unfolds from the point of view of characters whose relationships with each other aren't always easy to trace. What kept me reading was the fascinating story of Father Damien, the priest who has been a peripheral but beloved character in the other novels. This time it is his story that unfolds and as it does we also learn the truth about the enigmatic and sadistic Sister Leopolda who many believe could be a saint despite her cruelty. Since whoever picks up this book will have already learned the truth about Fr. Damien's gender because it's revealed in the jacket blurb as well as early on in the novel, I don't have to worry about spoilers. That's good because the whole novel is based on the fact that Damien is really Agnes and she's spent her life fulfilling her vocation to the priesthood. It's what I found most beautiful and touching about the novel because it raised important questions about the nature of faith and the function of religion as well as the many forms that love takes in people's lives. These are especially provocative questions these days as the Catholic Church continues to cling to outdated notions about who can be ordained to the priesthood. In Father Damien, Erdrich is asking us to consider that ordination and gender aren't what matters. Mercy, compassion and forgiveness are what a priest needs if he or she is to minister to the needs of those who look to him or her for guidance and insight. Those are qualities that arise in the depths of the heart and not from the hands of a bishop during an ordination rite. Nor is a person's sexuality a factor. In fact, Erdrich seems to be suggesting that to experience the fullness of human love can only deepen a priest's understanding of what genuine love entails. I can't help wishing that the Catholic Church would model its concept of the priesthood on what Louise Erdrich has given us in her portrait of Father Damien.

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