LaRose A Novel
LaRose A Novel by Louise Erdrich is a poignant exploration of loss and atonement set against the backdrop of Native American culture. Published by HarperCollins on May 10, 2016, this first edition spans 384 pages and is written in English. The narrative unfolds in North Dakota during the late summer of 1999, following Landreaux Iron, who, after a tragic accident, confronts the consequences of his actions and seeks guidance through traditional Ojibwe practices.
Readers will find a deeply emotional tale that intertwines the lives of two families, the Irons and the Raviches, as they navigate grief and healing. LaRose, the young son given to the grieving family, becomes a vital link between them, fostering connections that challenge the boundaries of love and loss. The story delves into themes of justice and the complexities of familial bonds, while also addressing the impact of a vengeful outsider threatening their fragile peace. This edition presents a rich narrative that reflects Erdrich’s literary mastery and her ability to weave intricate human experiences.
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Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction
Finalist for the 2017 PEN Faulkner Award
In this literary masterwork, Louise Erdrich, the bestselling author of the National Book Award-winning The Round House and the Pulitzer Prize nominee The Plague of Doves wields her breathtaking narrative magic in an emotionally haunting contemporary tale of a tragic accident, a demand for justice, and a profound act of atonement with ancient roots in Native American culture.
North Dakota, late summer, 1999. Landreaux Iron stalks a deer along the edge of the property bordering his own. He shoots with easy confidence—but when the buck springs away, Landreaux realizes he’s hit something else, a blur he saw as he squeezed the trigger. When he staggers closer, he realizes he has killed his neighbor’s five-year-old son, Dusty Ravich.
The youngest child of his friend and neighbor, Peter Ravich, Dusty was best friends with Landreaux’s five-year-old son, LaRose. The two families have always been close, sharing food, clothing, and rides into town; their children played together despite going to different schools; and Landreaux’s wife, Emmaline, is half sister to Dusty’s mother, Nola. Horrified at what he’s done, the recovered alcoholic turns to an Ojibwe tribe tradition—the sweat lodge—for guidance, and finds a way forward. Following an ancient means of retribution, he and Emmaline will give LaRose to the grieving Peter and Nola. “Our son will be your son now,” they tell them.
LaRose is quickly absorbed into his new family. Plagued by thoughts of suicide, Nola dotes on him, keeping her darkness at bay. His fierce, rebellious new “sister,” Maggie, welcomes him as a coconspirator who can ease her volatile mother’s terrifying moods. Gradually he’s allowed shared visits with his birth family, whose sorrow mirrors the Raviches’ own. As the years pass, LaRose becomes the linchpin linking the Irons and the Raviches, and eventually their mutual pain begins to heal.
But when a vengeful man with a long-standing grudge against Landreaux begins raising trouble, hurling accusations of a cover-up the day Dusty died, he threatens the tenuous peace that has kept these two fragile families whole.
Inspiring and affecting, LaRose is a powerful exploration of loss, justice, and the reparation of the human heart, and an unforgettable, dazzling tour de force from one of America’s most distinguished literary masters.
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