LaRose, by Louise Erdrich

A beautifully intricate story about what it can take to continue living, loving, and striving for some sense of spiritual wholeness in the midst of heart-breaking losses, betrayals, and the sometimes downright ugliness of life. I heard Erdrich speak about this novel in an interview/book-signing event I attended. When asked about the moral center of her books, she said that she chooses not to highlight the concept of "morality"--which, as she sees it, is too strongly tied to a sense of "righteousness" in our culture--but prefers to focus on "decency." Rather than on judgment, her focus is on the "kindness and compassion that are central to being human." I like the distinction between morality and decency. The theme of striving for decency plays out in complex, different ways for the large cast of intriguing, flawed, lovable (for some), infuriating (for others) characters that Erdrich has conjured for this wonderful book.

While the central story focuses on the Iron and Ravich families and what happens after Landreaux Iron kills the Raviches' young son in a hunting accident, Erdrich weaves in a long history of losses among generations of Ojibwe in the area, on this particular North Dakota reservation, and in the boarding schools that caused much heartache and social dislocation. As usual, she does it all in a compelling narrative that all seems seamless. I highly recommend the book.