What a wonderful feeling, to be in the hands of a gifted storyteller. Captivating, redemptive, moving…when I started this book I found it instantly compelling and wonderfully paced and it kept a grip on me all the way to the satisfying ending. An ending full of the peace that comes, not from everything working out as planned, but from embracing the journey, wherever the river goes. From the acclaimed author of Ordinary Grace, comes another epic adventure, with the feel of a classic.
The flyfleaf summarizes it best:
“In the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota’s Gilead River, the Lincoln Indian Training School is a pitiless place where Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. Is is also home to Odie O’Bannion, a lively orphan boy whose exploits constantly earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Odie and his brother, Albert, are the only white faces among the hundreds of Native American children at the school.
After committing a terrible crime, Odie and Albert are forced to flee for their lives along with their best friend, Mose, a mute young man of Sioux heritage. Out of pity, they also take with them a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy. Together, they steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi in search of a place to call home.”
This trusted and acclaimed author of Ordinary Grace has done it again–crafted a novel with unforgettable fictional characters set against historical truths in desperate times. Another amazing tale of compassion, courage, self-discovery and hard-won wisdom. But there is a lightness also, a marvellous mystical quality that speaks to the soul.
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