The very first thing that I’d like to do is enthusiastically applaud author Oscar Hokeah for the unique story structure of his debut novel. I have never before encountered a fiction work where a character’s life was told almost entirely through the eyes of several other characters, much less such a work where every one of said characters is a relative of some sort. Of course, absolutely key to such a setup is making sure that each individual narrator is a fully fleshed out character in their own respective rights. Otherwise it’s much too like general first person narration with name swaps. Fortunately, Hokeah is very successful on this front. The book’s multi-generational portrait of its main character, Ever Geimausaddle, carries a fantastically rich complexity by both capturing him in different points of his life and also telling his tale through a range of different perspectives filtered by each narrator’s unique relationship history with him.

I also very much enjoyed the story’s Oklahoma setting. Lately I’ve been consuming quite a lot of contemporary Native American and First Nations fiction, but have inadvertently ended up reading titles specifically set in the upper midwest and written from an Anishinaabe perspective. So I was very much appreciative to receive my first opportunity to read a book written with a mix of Cherokee, Kiowa and Comanche voices (amongst many others).

Hokeah's first appearance on the literary stage is definitely an impressive one. I am already looking forward to seeing what he has next in store.