The Night Watchman: Book summary and reviews of The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

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Cathryn Conroy

This Is a Masterpiece I Will Long Remember with Its Extraordinary Writing and Riveting Storylines
This book consumed me. Often, I would look up after reading and like waking from a deep sleep, I wondered where I was. Or my husband would talk to me while I was reading, and all I wanted to do was tell him what had happened—not because I wanted to tell him about the book, but because I felt as if we both knew the characters as real people and I needed to tell him what they were doing now. Yes, this book consumed me.

Magnificently written by Louise Erdrich, this is the story of a group of close-knit Chippewas living on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. The novel begins in September 1953 and continues through the spring of 1954. Although Thomas Wazhashk, who works as a night watchman, might be considered the lead character, there are others who are just as important and prominent in the story. There are two major plotlines:
• Thomas works as a night watchman at the new jewel bearing plant so he can spend his days working for the tribe to better their poverty-stricken lives. When the U.S. Congress writes legislation to terminate the tribe, take their land, and relocate them to cities, Thomas enjoins the tribe to fight the government—with every brilliant trick he can muster.

• Patrice just graduated from high school and has a job at the jewel bearing plant to support her family as its only source of income. Her father is a drunk, who only comes home to steal their money and terrorize his wife and children. Patrice's sister, Vera, relocated to Minneapolis but is now missing, and her family is terrified for her. Patrice ventures to Minneapolis in an attempt to find her sister, and what has happened to her is truly horrific.

• More minor plotlines include two Mormon missionaries who want to convert the largely Roman Catholic tribe to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the conflicts and passions of friends and lovers; and the wrestling with death—those deaths that are sudden, those that are feared, and those that are expected.

This is a masterpiece that I will long remember. It is not only a riveting story, but also an exposé on what it truly meant to be a Native American in the 1950s when government-sanctioned discrimination and deprivation of basic life services kept the tribes mired in deep poverty and often alcoholism. (Of course, how much has really changed in nearly 70 years?)

But in the hands of the talented Louise Erdrich what could be a dark, melancholy tale based on historical events becomes one of redemption and hope sprinkled with just enough laughs to make this book a real treasure.

This is what great literature does: It helps us appreciate and value other cultures and makes us better human beings.

Roberta Winchester

Heartbreaking yet Uplifting
I absolutely loved this book. If I hadn't borrowed it from a friend, I would have gotten out my yellow highlighter and highlighted passages. This is my first Louise Erdrich book and I can't wait to read more of her work. Her writing is beautiful and lyrical.

One of the main characters in the book is based on Erdrich's grandfather (named Thomas in the book) who was a night watchman but also the tribal head of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota. He is informed that the US government is trying to dispossess them of their land.

The book follows many characters, primarily Patrice who is Thomas' granddaughter. Her sister, Vera, has left home but no one has heard from her. Patrice sets out to "the big city" to look for her and almost immediately encounters abuse and discrimination.

I loved the characters in the book because they were so real and unforgettable. Even days after reading the book I am thinking about them.

I live in a state with a large Native American population and I am aware of the poverty in which so many live. Erdrich succeeds in bringing awareness to many of the issues they face---missing and exploited women, discrimination, poverty, alcoholism. The book is even more moving because it is told by one of their own.

Now I'll buy my own copy and read it again with highlighter in hand!

Nancy Niv

Lyrical
Wonderful story that helped me understand the Chippewa culture better. Some sly humor, some pathos, memorable characters, and refreshing animism and spiritualism. Edith the dog: be still my heart! Best book I have read in years

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