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    LaRose: A Novel
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    LaRose: A Novel
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    LaRose: A Novel
    Ebook488 pages8 hours

    LaRose: A Novel

    By Louise Erdrich

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 10, 2016
    ISBN9780062277046
    Author

    Louise Erdrich

    Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is the award-winning author of many novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore. 

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    Reviews for LaRose

    4/5

    212 ratings37 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Every time I read a novel by Louise Erdrich I feel like I am catching up with old friends. Each book I have read is a new story but some people from previous books make an appearance. It's just like sitting down with an old friend that you haven't seen in a long time and finding out what has been happening in their lives since you last saw each other. I listened to this book which was read by the author which gave the experience another layer of enjoyment. Landreaux Iron is out hunting one day and finds a magnificent buck close to home. Just as he shoots it his neighbour's son, Dusty, drops out of a tree above the buck and into the line of fire. Dusty is killed instantly and Landreaux feels horrible. Dusty was the same age as his own son, LaRose, and the two often played together. Dusty's father, Peter, is a good friend of Landreaux and Dusty's mother, Nola, is his own wife's half-sister. Landreaux remembers that in the Ojibway history, children were often given to families who had lost their own child so he takes LaRose to Peter and Nola for them to raise. LaRose is a special boy. He misses his own mother and father but he learns to love Peter and Nola and especially Maggie, Dusty's older sister. He also has an ability to see and talk with the spirits of people who have died, including Dusty. With time the two families learn how to share custody of LaRose and accept each other. The fly in the ointment is provided by Romeo, a broken man, addicted to pain killers, who used to be a good friend to Landreaux. He blames Landreaux for his present circumstances and learns information that he thinks will turn Peter against Landreaux. Another enjoyable book from Erdrich.
    • 3/5
      Could have been a much better story without what I think is unnecessary drama. In 1999, Landreaux Iron accidentally kills his neighbor and friend's son. In keeping with the Ojibwe tradition, Landreaux gives Pete and his family, the Iron's son, LaRose. The family dynamics are strained; sisters and brothers are supportive at times and at times rebellious. Nola, the dead son's mother, considers suicide while Emmaline Iron resents her husband's decision.At the same time, a local "friend" of Landreux's, Romeo, is planning revenge against Landreux who accidentally injured him years ago and married Emmaline, whom Romeo was in love with. Romeo is addicted to prescription drugs and steals from the hospital where he is an orderly. Things are complicated, no one is happy including the local ex-Marine priest, Father Travis who is in love with Emmaline.Sometimes the writing is just to flowery and dramatic for me. There is just enough of what I guess is magical realism to make it just weird in places.
    • 4/5
      5457. LaRose, by Louise Erdrich (read 3 Apr 2017) (National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for 2016) This is the 5th book I have read by this author. Most of the time as I was reading I thought it was boring and I had little interest in what was being related. Especially off-putting were some of the mystical flights told of LaRose, a boy who was given to the family of the boy who was accidentally shot by LaRose's father. But, as has happened before as I read this author, towards the end there was high drama and I became most interested in the happenings in the story. That interest did not continue at the same intensity as the book was ending, but that part of the book nearing the end led me to give the book a higher rating than I was intending to give it as I slogged through the earlier part of the book .I did appreciate that many of the characters are admirable and that the ending of the novel was not doleful.
    • 4/5
      Erdrich always writes books which I admire, and this is no exception. The writing here is painfully beautiful, simultaneously conveying langor and acute chronic pain and dissonance That is a neat trick. Overall this was a wonderful read, but somehow the words got in the way of the story in certain parts. Its like listening to a beautiful piece of music you know is complex and interesting, but you lose the individual notes and variations and thereby some of the thrill. Still excellent and recommended.
    • 5/5
      I enjoy Louise Erdrich books and I have read many (but not all) of her works over the last years. The last book I read was "the Round House" and I looked forward to this book as some of the same families are in the community. LaRose did not disappoint and had some of the same features as her other books. She focuses on the Native American community, in particular the Ojibwe in North Dakota. Despite the prominence of this theme, the book jacket says nothing about this feature of the story, although it mentions a sweat lodge as an important scene in the book.The story is a sad one of loss of sons from 2 families that are related by two half sisters. One of the themes is the family that caused the cruel accident needs to try to make amends. That would have been the way in traditional Ojibwe culture. The families no longer live in a traditional native american culture, and the book relates the many things that have happened to the families and their ancestors that have washed away many of their memories of traditional life. But some remain, and they try to live with their decision of restoring the son to the family that lost theirs.I found this a very sad story but I enjoyed the mix of contemporary and traditional culture themes. I will recommend this to my book club, as I did the Round House.
    • 5/5
      LaRose is 5 years old when his father accidently shoots his playmate. To apologize and compensate the family of Dusty, his mother and father decide that the Objiwa way is to give them their son. LaRose moves back and forth between the two families for the next few years while the two families heal. There is a LaRose in each generation of his family, and each LaRose is a interesting and healing individual. There is also a lot of characters who have been to boarding school to encourage them to give up their traditional culture. Just a very interesting book with fabulous characters.
    • 4/5
      "There are five LaRoses. First, the LaRose who poisoned Mackinnon, went to mission school, married Wolfrd, taught her children the shape of the world, and traveled that world as a set of stolen bones. Second, her daughter LaRose, who went to Carlisle. This LaRose got tuberculosis like her own mother, and like the first LaRose fought it off again and again. Lived long enough to become the mother of the third LaRose, who went to Fort Totten and bore the third LaRose, who eventually became the mother of Emmaline, the teacher of Romeo and Landreaux. The fourth LaRose also became the grandmother of the last LaRose, who was given to the Ravich family by his parents in exchange for a son accidentally killed." (290)Please forgive the long quote which won't mean much to those who haven't read the book. It's enough to know that LaRose was a special name passed through the generations to those who seemed to possess certain powers. Not superpowers as we know them from current comic culture, but powers more in the way of the potential for becoming a spiritual healer, especially in the last LaRose who has a special purpose in life. You see, his father, Landreaux accidentally killed his best friend and cousin Dusty in a tragic hunting accident. Full of deep remorse, his parents seek out the sweat lodge for wisdom from their elders and revive the old way of giving a child to replace the lost child. LaRose is only five years old but accepts his strange role with the courage of the old soul that he is. In typical Erdrich fashion, the stories of the elders are weaved into more contemporary times. This story takes place on the cusp of the 21st Century and centers on the two families affected by the tragedy that opens the story. One family is Ojibwe and one is white which gives pause and provides a vehicle to make note of the oppression of the Native Americans throughout our nation's history, although that is not the emphasis of the book. Grief, forgiveness, retribution, and hope are some of the many themes explored through Erdrich's outstanding storytelling skills.
    • 2/5
      Tedious....not my style
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written. Painful but honest insights into human nature and the nature of how relationships are healed. Many new insights for me into the Native American culture.
    • 5/5
      LaRose is a complex novel, but has two plotlines at its core - it follows the lives of 5 generations of Native American women (and a boy) named LaRose, and it follows the modern-day family of the current LaRose, a young boy who is given as kind of a shared stepson to his aunt and uncle after his father accidentally kills their only son in a tragic hunting accident. I hesitated over that plot summary - it sounds quite dark and heavy when stated baldly, so I want to emphasize that the prevailing tone of the work is one of hope and a celebration of familial love. Erdrich is a master at dealing with heavy themes without really weighing on the reader; there's a lot of joy and humor even as it confronts some harsh and horrifying realities. I would compare it to another recent favorite of mine, Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being in this respect. Both plotlines are expertly woven together and incredibly compelling, but the modern day storyline around LaRose and his blended family was the highlight! I loved seeing these families slowly heal - I feel like lately I've read a lot of books about trauma that can't be recovered from and its poisoning the life of the traumatized, so it's very refreshing to see a different take on the aftermath of wounds like this.
    • 5/5
      From the synopsis, so this is not a spoiler, we know that there is an accident that causes the death of a child. In Native American culture this requires an act of atonement, so Landreaux Iron, the perpetrator convinces his wife Emmaline to give their young son Larose to Peter and Nola, the parents of the dead child. This act sets off armchair of events that will take years to overcome.Mixing Native American culture with some magical realism, Indian folklore, customs and some beautiful prose is a hallmark of Erdrich's work. She takes a heartbreaking scenario and uses a broad reach to show the reader the impact on all involved. This young LaRose is a very special person, actually the fifth Larose in his bloodline as we learn in various back stories of the other LaRoses. Loved reading the stories of this families lineage, the wonderful characters who bore this name and their amazing abilities. In the present day this young man will try to overcome the obstacle of belonging to two different families, trying to save everyone involved and becoming the unifying presence in their grief. Grief is very much a theme in this novel, grief and its effects on all. In the end a act to prevent a tragedy will prevent a larger tragedy later in the book. The characters change throughout this book, both families but also a man named Romeo who was at a boarding school with Landreaux. He gave his own son to the Irons to raise and has much to forgive and atone for himself. All these separate stories are pulled together masterfully by books end. A book where there are really no bad guys, just people who have made bad decisions or have been touched by fate. ARC from publisher.
    • 4/5
      This is the 3rd novel I have read by Erdrich and the 2nd that covers Native Americans. The Round House won the National Book Award. LaRose continues the native American themes but is not as compelling as The Round House. She does a great job of educating readers about Native American issues by weaving in the past, present, integration into current society, and the spiritualism of the the culture. The story concerns a man that accidentally kills the 5 year old son of his best friend in a hunting accident. From there the story deals with the aftermath of this event as it impacts the 2 families along with other members of the community. The writing is excellent, but there was just something lacking in some of the characters that did not allow the book to go to a higher level for me. I strongly recommend The Round House and if you enjoy that then LaRose is a worthwhile read. I suggest that you may want to read some other readers opinions on this because both 5 star and 1 star reviews raised valid points of positive and negative criticism. I will add that "Shadow Tag" by Erdrich did not deal with the Native American culture and I enjoyed it very much. It illustrated the versatility of Erdrich as an author.
    • 4/5
      This book starts with a punch to the gut. Just one of the worst case scenarios. Oof. And that first chapter ends with a draw dropping decision! The rest of the story deals with the repercussions of that decision, the two families involved, and a little bit of their ancestors' tales and the path of the ages that make the boy, LaRose. The writing is excellent, the story diverse, and the revelations of Native American life, and life on a reservation, are beautiful. My only negative is that I hated, hated, hated the character of Father Travis! If he were not in it, the story would not be affected and I would have 5 starred this book! As it is, it is a terrific read, with one of the more difficult topics I have grappled with in a book.
    • 5/5
      Two families joined by blood, tradition, and tragedy. One living on the res, 6 kids, one kind of adopted son, and the other has two children, one boy (Dusty) and one girl. Landreaux, the father of the first family, was hunting one day and accidentally shot Dusty. In the traditional way he offers his own son, LaRose, to the other. On this boy's shoulders falls the responsibility of trying to heal both families. The reader is immersed in the lives of a small community and all of its strengths and weaknesses. The weave of lives is complicated and close-woven and exposed. Erdrich uses all of the senses to bring a setting to life. I can't think of any other book I've read that presents such complete descriptions of smell to describe a forest or kitchen setting.
    • 5/5
      It is difficult to imagine anything more devastating to a man than accidentally killing his best friend's only son, but Landreaux Iron did just that when the little boy somehow managed to get between Landreaux and the elk at which he had just taken a shot. But according to Ojibwe tribal custom there was a way for the Iron family to recompense Dusty Ravich's parents for his loss: all they have to do is give LaRose, their own son and Dusty's best friend, to Pete and Nola Ravich to raise as their own. So they do.Not that it was easy, and not that it was a decision that could stick forever.The mothers of the two boys are half-sisters who hardly speak to each other despite the closeness of their sons and husbands. Nola, Dusty's mother, has one other child, a daughter who is entering her prime teen-brat years. LaRose's mother, Emmiline, on the other hand, has four other children, including the one they took in as a boy. The question now is whether either of the two families will be able to survive the loss of their sons.LaRose is a novel about forgiveness and how far it can be stretched before reaching its breaking point, and Erdrich tells her story beautifully. As the months go by, and the gifting of LaRose to Dusty's family becomes more one of sharing the boy, the two families grow closer than ever before - especially the children. Emmiline's daughters take the slightly younger Maggie Ravich under their wings and do their best to keep her from going astray. Pete and Landreaux (the fathers) manage to rekindle a friendship of sorts, and even if it is not as strong a friendship as it had been before the accident, they seem to be moving it in that direction. And if Nola and Emmiline (the mothers) find it difficult to communicate or to be around each other, well that's nothing new, is it?But there's always a fly in the ointment, and in this case it's a fly with a deadly grudge against Landreaux Iron going back all the way to childhood. Romeo (the fly) still walks with an obvious limp resulting from a childhood fall he blames on Landreaux, and he is determined to make Landreaux finally suffer as much as he has. The man may be a drunkard and a pill-popper, but when it comes to deviousness, Romeo is rather brilliant, and when he convinces Pete that Landreaux is hiding the truth about what really happened on the morning Dusty was killed, it appears that everything the two families have achieved together is going to be destroyed.All of this, as usual in a Louise Erdrich novel, takes place on or around a Native American reservation that seems to be almost a separate world unto itself despite the changes brought about by modern times. Erdrich surrounds her central characters with a supporting cast of characters that is equally compelling and memorable. This especially includes the original "LaRose," an Indian girl who was bought by a brutal mountain man, and whose story is told in a recurring sequence of flashbacks throughout the novel. (Each generation of Emmiline's family has had a "LaRose" in it ever since, and her young son carries the name for his generation.). Louise Erdrich won the 2015 National Book Award for The Round House, but LaRose just may be every bit the equal of that very fine novel. This is one not to be missed.
    • 4/5
      She writes great books and for someone who knows little about Indian culture very meaningful.
    • 3/5
      Overall, a rather sad, serious book. I really struggled to get into this book, although I did make it to the end (and encountered Father Dick Boner- what the heck!?!). I appreciated the struggles of the characters and the difficult choices they made, which made for a compelling story, but the multiple character points of view and quasi-nonlinear structure made this tale a little difficult to follow at times.
    • 3/5
      3/5 stars... I've really enjoyed Louise Erdrich, so was excited to read this book. While it's an ok book, and well written, the plot wasn't quite as compelling or intricate as most of Erdrich's books. Characters were somewhat one-dimensional and the story lost momentum in the middle as the generations of LaRose's were introduced. Not my favorite.
    • 3/5
      This book is not one of my favorite books by the author and only because I found the ending a bit flat and scattered. What I did like was the way the author showed us how the death of child impacts all members of a family. I also enjoyed the history of all generations of LaRoses.As in her previous book I appreciate the way the author brings to light issues that normally go unheard by the general public and topics that are not mentioned in schools. Issues such as the trauma of forced boarding schools, the toll tuberculosis took on so many, why the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act came in to effect and the fact that L. Frank Baum was an Indian hater.I am glad the author has this history and connection with her ancestors and is able to share with the world. Erdrich is and always will be a favorite.(less)
    • 5/5
      Always an enchanting journey I am taken on by Louise Erdrich in her indomitable way of capturing people, places and the intertwining stories that come with them. Going to read more of her work, in between discovering new authors and new works.
    • 5/5
      The more I read Louise Erdrich, the more I find in her novels. Larose is a family saga but one which explores the way injustices done to American Indians echoes down the generations and affects people in the present day. I don't want to spoil this expansive novel so that's all folks.
    • 3/5
      A man accidentally kills his neighbor’s son while hunting. He decides to send his own son to live with his neighbor, in the traditions of the Ojibwe tribes of the past. It is well-written, but I never warmed up to this story. I did not find it particularly compelling and there were several superfluous storylines that seemed to go nowhere. Suffice it to say this is not my favorite book by Louise Erdrich. I can highly recommend The Round House and The Master Butchers Singing Club.
    • 3/5
      3/5 stars... I've really enjoyed Louise Erdrich, so was excited to read this book. While it's an ok book, and well written, the plot wasn't quite as compelling or intricate as most of Erdrich's books. Characters were somewhat one-dimensional and the story lost momentum in the middle as the generations of LaRose's were introduced. Not my favorite.
    • 5/5
      Poetry. <3
    • 4/5
      Landreaux Iron is out hunting when he shoots and finds that he has killed his neighbor's 5 year old son, Dusty. Devastated, he lets Peter and Nola Ravich know that he has killed their son and his own son's (LaRose) playmate. In thinking about his heritage, he talks with his wife, Emmaline, and they decide that LaRose should be given to the Ravich's in payment for the accident. It is hard for both families, but that is done.LaRose now has two families and seems to fit into both. He really misses his birth mother, but falls in love with the Ravich family also.There is an individual, Romeo, who has a grudge against Landreaux from many years ago and he is trying to bring him to a quick decline and is searching for any way to make that happen. Romeo is a lost soul; stealing drugs, stealing paperwork, etc. There is a lot of Indian tradition incorporated into this novel and it is a pleasure to be taken there. This is definitely well-written and I need to warn you to keep tissues handy.
    • 4/5
      Erdrich's writing style is unique and strong. Having taught school on an Indian school reservation, I always appreciate books about Native Americans. LaRose is a wonderfully woven tale full of Native American culture, but specifically tells the story of LaRose who is given to a grieving family to help with the loss of their son. The novel has many side stories, which is confusing at times, but loops back around to complete the book.
    • 5/5
      Such a good book this that for its generosity I can forgive where it creaks at times.
    • 4/5
      Interesting story. After a child is killed by accident the family whose father caused the accident agree to share raising their own child with the bereaved parents. This is based on a true story.
      The two families live near/in an Indian reserve, and goes back in time to remembered history of the LaRose, the great-great grandmother and namesake of the boy who is raised by the two families.

      There are themes of Indian traditions, and the healing power of LaRose and her descendants. Whats was most fascinating for me though was the healing power of forgiveness. It is a truly inspiring read. Apart from the main story, there is also the story of Romeo, the friend with a lifelong grudge who finally comes to understand the power of redemption. It is truly about how good intentions do count in the end. One has to believe in magic sometimes.
    • 4/5
      Like many of her novels, Ms. Erdrich tells a story of Native American culture, traditions and spiritual world. This novel in particular deals with a tragic death and how a Native American father comes to reconcile the mishap. His young son, LaRose, is at the center of retribution and reconciliation. I found the novel well constructed however some may find it a bit confusing at first, read on, the names and time periods will soon by understandable. The characters are well drawn and developed well, as much is learned from past storylines. The conclusion, in my opinion is sort of lackluster but a well told story nonetheless.
    • 5/5
      This book reminds me of why I love to read.