Books by author: Louise Erdrich

Erdrich has been on my to-read list for a while, and this reading of Love Medicine was precipitated somewhat by the suicide of Michael Dorris. Here, Erdrich brings to life a cast of characters living in a Chippewa reservation in the Dakotas. The point of view changes in each chapter, giving a kind of holographic view of the Kashpaw family and their relations. Lipsha Morrisey, one of the characters, is a metaphor for contemporary American Indians, searching for his roots (his parents) and trying to fit into a hostile society.

Love Medicine is a very serious first novel and I'll simply repeat Toni Morrison's sentiment: "The beauty of Love Medicine saves us from being completely devastated by its power."