Items related to The Hiawatha: A Novel
Recently widowed, and encouraged by government relocation schemes to move Native Americans off their reservations, Betty takes her four young children from their Ojibwe roots to make a new life in Minneapolis. Her younger son Lester finds romance on the soon-to-be-demolished train, The Hiawatha, while his older brother Simon takes a dangerous job scaling skyscrapers. Their fates collide, and result in a tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.
An elegy to the American dream, and to the sometimes tragic experience of the Native Americans who helped to build it, The Hiawatha is a powerful novel that confirms David Treuer's status as a young writer of rare talent.
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Review:
There are countless reasons why families fall apart. Fratricide, the tragic incident at the center of David Treuer's second novel, The Hiawatha, is surely one of the most agonizing. "A good job, close friends, quiet nights"--all this and more seem to beckon to Ojibwe matriarch Betty in 1961 when she uproots herself and her four children from their upstate reservation and moves the family to the inner-city promise of Minneapolis. Only when her younger son is killed by his own brother are Betty's long-decaying dreams of a better life finally extinguished, exposing not only the dark side of pursuing the American Dream, but the convoluted trails of love.
From the Publisher:
Simon, Betty's oldest child, seems doomed to misfortune, frustration, and resentment. After witnessing his father's accidental death, he feels obligated to act as family savior and protector, especially once they move to the city. His best intentions aren't enough, however, and the family eventually unravels, their devastation complete after Simon's almost inexplicable, alcohol-fueled murder of his brother. Much of the novel traces the aftermath, as Simon and Betty attempt a delicate healing, their lives muddled with both affection and remorse.
Treuer is at his best when penetrating the silent emotions of confused souls and the failed promises of human hearts. And although his observations tend to be cynical and overly broad, somewhat falsely self-assured, his knowledge of the worlds of both city and reservation is remarkably precise. In a book that can be unnecessarily gruff, Treuer exposes plainly not only the persistence of tragedy, but also the tenacity of family love. --Ben Guterson
"In The Hiawatha, David Treuer has written an elegant and mournful elegy to the side roads to the human heart. The humanity and originality of the characters, and the gorgeous prose, sent me back to Cormac McCarthy's Suttree to find a recent American novel as monumental and beautiful. Treuer is that rare writer, both poetic and unflinchingly real. He is to be admired, even envied. This novel will be remembered a long time." --Peter Landesman
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- PublisherPicador
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0312252722
- ISBN 13 9780312252724
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages320
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. An elegy to the American dream, and to the sometimes tragic experience of the Native Americans who helped to build it, The Hiawatha is both a moving portrait of a family, and a fast-paced, page-turning literary mystery of murder and redemption. Recently widowed, and encouraged by government relocation schemes to move Native Americans off their reservations, Betty takes her four young children from their Ojibwe roots to make a new life in Minneapolis. As Betty struggles to keep her family and her dignity intact, her younger son Lester finds romance on the soon-to-be-demolished train, The Hiawatha, while his older brother Simon secretly protects his mother by taking a dangerous job as a construction worker, scaling the heights of the skyscrapers that, once completed, will never welcome him. Twenty years later, Simon is released from prison for a horrible crime of passion. His return to Minneapolis sets in motion the dramatic, inevitable conclusion to one family's ceaseless fight to survive. David Treuer more than delivers on the promise he displayed in his acclaimed first novel, Little, and confirms his reputation as one of the most talented and original writers of his generation. Betty leaves the Ojibwe reservation with her four children to make a new life in Minneapolis. Her younger son finds romance on a soon-to-be demolished train--"The Hiawatha"--while his older brother takes a dangerous job scaling skyscrapers. Their fates collide in a tale of crime, punishment, and redemption. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780312252724
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