Book Review of “The Night Watchman: A Novel”

Resident Ellyn Loy’s review of The Night Watchman: A Novel by Louise Erdrich [New York:HarperCollins, 2020], is scheduled for Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 7 PM in the Auditorium.

This novel by Louise Erdrich was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for 2021.  It is a tale of resilience, of remarkable characters, and a blending of Native American culture and harsh American realities. Set in 1953 on the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Reservation, the book details the fight against House Concurrent Resolution 108. This bill sought to end tribal sovereignty. It declared “Be the sense of Congress that it should be policy of the United States to abolish federal supervision over American Indian tribes…”  The consequences of this bill were that Native Americans lost the benefits given to them by the federal government in terms of economic assistance and land rights. Native Americans referred to it as” The Termination Bill.”

The book centers around Thomas Wazhashk, the night watchman for the Turtle Mountain Jewel Bearing Plant and the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. This character is based on the author’s grandfather.

Stories of eight main characters who live and work on the reservation are woven together. The novel is  rich with the realities of life for Native American people and the strong spiritual bond they have with their ancestors and their land. These characters have lives and histories that reflect many of the issues Native Americans face today, including poverty, alcoholism, and sexual abuse. But they also reflect  incredible strength and connection to the earth that provide Native Americans with the fortitude to continue to preserve their people.

Besides the main character Thomas, there is Patrice Paranteau, who works in the Jewel Bearing Plant and leaves the reservation to find her sister Vera, who has been lost to “The City”.   Zhaanat Paranteau is a traditional Native American mother and grandmother. Her character overflows with tradition and Native American lore. There is also Millie Cloud, raised off the reservation and who conducted a study of the economic conditions of the Chippewa. Her knowledge is critical to defeating the Resolution.

A reviewer in the Tampa Bay Times stated, “No one can break your heart and fill it with light all in the same book-sometimes in the same paragraph, as Louise Erdrich.”  This novel brings together fact and fiction. Louise Erdrich is a Native American author whose writing conveys her ancestors’ spirits and story-telling skills.

This is Charlestown resident Ellyn Loy’s fourth book review. She is always on the prowl for a good book . Ellyn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently employed as a Faculty Liaison for social work students in the field at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Janet Neer and Ellyn Loy, Book Review Coordinators