Week 31: Roofwalker by Susan Power (Milkweek, 2002, Hardcover)
I picked up this book after reading Power’s debut novel, The Grass Dancer, which quickly became one of my favorite novels. Set in Lakota Sioux reservation in North Dakota, she displayed a masterful ability to weave intricate yet subtle character development within a fragmented timeline. Her only other published work so far is this collection of short stories, set in the same Lakota world.
The collection is divided into “stories” and “histories”, with the later presumably being more authentically autobiographical. However, they aren’t substantially different in style or approach from the short stories. They are all from the first person narration, and layer quiet insight with cultural perspective.
I appreciated all the pieces here, although some are stronger than others. Powers’ ability to pull us sympathetically into the minds of her characters is equally effective in either the story of a teenage girl who cannot escape the abusive father of her unborn child; or in presenting the fleeting memory of an aged woman in a retirement home. I particularly liked the surrealism of “Angry Fish”, where a Lakota man finds himself conversing with a Catholic figurine about faith.
In all of these stories, Power’s is able to engage us with her characters as well as provide critical insight on the historical and contemporary struggles faced by Lakota. The struggles they face are woven into the characters lives, so that we appreciate the issues as real and not as political topics.
I’m eager to read Power’s next work, as this collection reified my appreciation of her strong and engaging storytelling.
Next week . . . Reunion by Alan Dean Foster.