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The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
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The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich - 4 stars
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This sounds different from many of her other books. The character’s dilemma sounds like something I would like. It’s listed as #6 in her Love Medicine series. Do you think it matters if we didn’t read the others? I really like her later books, but I thought the writing style in the first book was harder to follow, so I skipped the rest of the series.
It does not matter if you haven't read all the Love Medicine books. I have not, and I quite enjoyed it. This is quite different from her other books (except that they all have indigenous themes).
This is one of my favorite Erdrich books. I did recognize characters from earlier books, but it didn't seem to matter. Her characters have messy lives and the plots wander around. It takes some concentration to follow the connections, but with this book it was definitely worth it. I've always meant to reread it because I'm sure there were things that I missed.
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse tells the story of Father Damien Modeste, born Agnes DeWitt, who serves as a Catholic priest on the (fictional) Little No Horse Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota for over fifty years. The book shifts between past and present, 1912 – 1996, following Father Damien's struggle to maintain a secret identity while ministering to the spiritual needs of the community. In the current timeline, another priest is interviewing Father Damien as part of an investigation into possible miracles. Themes include identity, faith, and cultural transformation.
The characters are richly drawn, and the storyline is intricate, containing elements of both Catholicism and Ojibwe spirituality. In the present timeline, the mystery involving one of the sisters threatens to expose Father Damien's carefully maintained identity. The prose is lyrical. It is structured to move fluidly through time, containing visions and dreamlike elements. I found it easy to maintain interest in both the historical mystery and personal revelations. It contains a fair amount of potentially disturbing content, so be forewarned.