John Hickey's novel 'Big Chief,' set on the fictional Passage Rouge Indian Reservation in Wisconsin, meticulously unravels the complex fabric of tribal politics through the eyes of Mitch Caddo, the tribe's operations director. Hickey, himself a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians, crafts a narrative deeply entrenched in the realities of tribal sovereignty and the personal conflicts that arise from it.

The novel's strength lies in its vivid portrayal of the reservation, the internal political turmoil, and the character of Mitch, whose struggle with his identity and moral dilemmas form the crux of the narrative. Hickey's prose is straightforward yet effective, rich with the subtleties of political maneuvering and the personal sacrifices they necessitate. His descriptions of the north woods of Wisconsin and the daily lives of the tribe members add a layer of authenticity that grounds the tale in a palpable reality.

However, 'Big Chief' does not escape its flaws. The pacing sometimes feels uneven, with sections delving deeply into political intricacies at the expense of narrative momentum. For instance, extended discussions of tribal governance can overshadow the emotional development of key relationships. Additionally, while Mitch Caddo is a well-rounded character, many secondary figures lack the same depth, appearing more as political foils than fully realized individuals with their own complex motivations.

Despite these issues, the novel tenaciously addresses the pressures facing modern tribal communities, from questions of identity and belonging to the stark realities of power and corruption. Hickey's handling of these themes is commendable, offering a window into the complexities of life on a reservation that is both enlightening and thought-provoking.

While 'Big Chief' presents a rich tapestry of culture and conflict, it falls short of the mark set by seminal works to which it is compared—Tommy Orange's 'There There' and Louise Erdrich's 'The Night Watchman.' Where Orange's novel offers a kaleidoscopic view of urban Native American experiences through multiple perspectives, and Erdrich's work achieves a seamless blend of historical significance with poetic prose, Hickey's narrative, though compelling, doesn't quite reach the same emotional depths or literary innovation.

Ultimately, 'Big Chief' is a noteworthy exploration of Native American life and politics, presenting a narrative that is as challenging as it is significant. I was particularly drawn to Hickey's unflinching portrayal of the moral compromises political power demands. Readers interested in contemporary Native American literature who appreciate complex political narratives will find much value in Hickey's work. However, those seeking the transcendent storytelling of Orange or Erdrich may need to adjust their expectations.

This review is of an advance reader copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. It is scheduled to be released on April 8, 2025.

<u>Big Chief</u>
Jon Hickey

It is November, and incumbent Mack Beck is running for reelection as Tribal President of the Passage Rouge Indian Reservation in Wisconsin. The story is told from the POV of young lawyer, Mitch Caddo, who is part of Beck’s campaign. The election is heated, against political activist Gloria Hawkins, especially after secrets are unearthed, leading to allegations of graft and corruption.

<i>Big Chief</i> has intrigue and betrayal. It is about loyalty, family and community. It gives us a glimpse into Native American sovereign government and reservation politics. It starts off interesting enough, but gets lost in multiple side stories and flashbacks, and suffers as most debuts do in being unable to tie everything together while maintaining a cohesive plot. Despite the subplots, the secondary characters are not well fleshed out, with only Mitch’s character being well-developed.

ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster and NetGalley.

This novel just wasn’t for me. The synopsis hooked me but unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with the protagonist at all. He was annoying and too self absorbed. I liked that he was ambitious with his political ideologies. I also liked the election process, but the overall story was like pulling teeth. The prose was too long-winded and too much exposition which made for a draggy storyline. I had high hopes for this book but ultimately fell flat.

The author did a nice job of creating vivid and complex characters. It certainly seemed like there were some parallels to our current American political scene. I kept reading because the intrigue of the election kept me going.

Mitch Caddo is a recent law school grad who has moved home to Wisconsin. He doesn’t necessarily feel like he belongs in his home reservation, Passage Rogue Nation along his Anishinaabe people.

Mitch is the brainpower behind Tribal President, Mack Beck, who is also a longtime, childhood friend. Mack “looks” the part, and Mitch “knows” the part.

The whole book takes place in the few days leading up to Mack’s re-election, which has been bumpy to say the least. They are running against nationally known activist, Gloria Hawkins.

There is lots of small town, political drama and rivalry, there’s corruption and through it all, we can feel Mitch’s urgent need to feel a part of something.

Something just fell short for me.. Mack was an annoying character to me and maybe Mitch’s association and loyalty towards him played a big part in me not enjoying the book as much as I wanted.

It also felt like we never fully got to know any of the characters to accept them even with their flaws.

One thing for sure, this literary debut was compared to There, There and Louise Erdrich’s The Nightwatchman and if you’ve been here for a while you know those are two of my favorite authors.

That’s a really high standard to put for anyone.. and for me it didn’t quite reach it. Maybe if I hadn’t gone in with that comparison in mind, my expectations would have been different.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc! It’s out on 4/8!

really interesting concept that is used to tell a really good story about identity, control, and indigenous. would definitely recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Mitch Caddo is a young lawyer and fixer for the Passage Rouge reservation in northern Wisconsin. Mack Beck is the tribal president, and he was Mitch’s childhood friend. Gloria Hawkins is challenging Mack in the upcoming tribal election, with the help of Layla Beck … Mack’s sister and Mitch’s ex-lover.

The campaign becomes heated as evidence of corruption is revealed and violence takes hold. All of this causes Mitch to begin to sort out what his values are and what that might mean. The concepts of family, friendship, love, loyalty, and simply doing what is right become challenging.

As a reader, I found Mitch was hard to like … even when he was able to get glimpses of his failings and worked to put things right. In fact, Layla seemed to be the only righteous character in the book.

I loved the themes of the complexities Native politics, pride, and family in this book. The story is interesting, at times perplexing (in the best way), and the prose used to tell it is beautiful. I can't wait to read more from Jon Hickey!

Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy!

This was disappointing to say the least. I was initially excited because it's described as There There meets The Nightwatchman, but I did not get that vibe from this book. It started off really strong, but honestly? The main character, Mitch, is super insufferable. I know he's a man with political goals, but his inner thoughts are really annoying. If he'd been more likable, I might have enjoyed this more. All the best to the author as he does have a strong voice, this book was just not it for me.

Thanks to Net Galley, who gave me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a while to get into, but once I was locked in to protagonist/antihero's Mitch Caddo's story I stayed up late to finish it.

Taking place in an Anishinaabe reservation, the events of the book unfold during both election season and a brutal winter. Much of the environmental imagery is set in alternatingly a dark and snowy wood, warm private homes, or around the impersonal lights and noise of a casino. In many ways the contrasts between these vastly different spaces drive the narrative and conflict.

I especially appreciated the diversity in the Native American characters, who span from complacent or corrupt politicians, to traditional practitioners of medicine and culture, to passionate activists, to those questioned for their degree of belonging to the rez. No one is rendered two-dimensionally, and that innate nuance and complexity of human nature is beautifully depicted. Understanding and claiming one's own identity is also a major theme.

Without naming spoilers, a few decisions the main character made and motivations about the actions of his father figure were a little unclear. I suppose it's anchored in realism that way--we don't always know why others and even ourselves choose the paths we do.

I had to look up and research some words and phrases (Shout out to Sault College's let's start Ojibwe YouTube series) but was very grateful for the knowledge.

Recommended for anyone interested in novels about self-discovery, grief, and identity, and folks looking to read more indigenous writers. I can't wait to see more from John Hickey and will look for author events in our shared neighborhood of the Richmond in SF!

Review also posted to goodreads.

A look at tribal politics and belonging, centered on a fraught election that results in rioting and discord.

Overall a very interesting debut! I found the story to meander a little too much for my liking and I think this hindered my enjoyed of the story. It was very well written but I couldn’t fully get into the story. I liked the writing and characters, and would want the story to be edited a little more to help with it being more concise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this ARC!

4 ⭐️ really enjoyed this political family story set in WI on tribal land. Mitch Caddo, an attorney, returns to serve with childhood friend Mack Beck when Mack is elected tribal leader of the Passage Rouge Nation. Things get tense when the opposition candidate, political activist, Gloria Hawkins takes the lead.

Written from the POV of Mitch, the story is intriguing and well written. I became absorbed in the political workings of the reservation and the corruption and backdoor dealings of the politicians, casino, police and so called friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

While I enjoyed the author's writing style I couldn't seem to get into the book. The main character continues to feel down on himself for everything and the storyline meanders too much to fully keep my attention.

A solid debut. I kept coming back to this story of politics, identity, and complex love. An "All the Kings Men" with more loveable, complex characters (or maybe I'm just older now and have more grace to give people...). Mitch, our protagonist, is the shadow & fixer for Chief Mack Beck, the love interest of Mack's estranged sister Layla, and the replacement son of Mack's estranged adoptive father, Joe. Lots of interconnectedness and complex relationships here. We catch this ensemble cast as they barrel toward the final days of Mack's re-election campaign, and things get really. REALLY messy on the Passage Rogue Reservation. The writing kept moving for me because I wanted to find out what disaster was around the next bend, because I KNEW something was always coming. As Mitch careens between the many big personalities on the reservation, themes of love, identity, power, colonialism, and self are explored in interesting ways. I do think it could be a little tighter overall, though - there is a lot going on (both in terms of action and psychologically) and I think some additional editing would tighten up novel and make it more impactful.

I'm somewhat new to Net Galley. so I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this kind of feedback, but my understanding is that the publisher does look at the feedback: I did find this digital ARC to have numerous typos/errors (more than I've seen before in other ARCs). The Beck family was often referred to as the "Plum" family. Gloria's daughter is named both "Iggy" and "Anna." In the scene at Gloria's house, her daughter is in two rooms at the same time. And lastly, at the end of the novel, when Mitch is recovering, there is some discrepancy with timing: Layla mentions talking about what happened between them yesterday, but Mitch has already said he hasn't spoken with her in two days.

I was so excited for this book, but I got distracted by life and lost track of the expiration date for this book. I am not able to download it again. I am looking forward to reading it and I will add a review as soon as I am able.

Mitch and Mack, young men trying to do the right thing, lead the Passage Rouge Nation in Wisconsin. But now they are up for re-election, and two weeks away from voting day it doesn’t look good. As they struggle to reach out to everyone, we learn not only who they are but also the people who might vote for them and those who definitely will not.

A very interesting story, Big Chief spotlights what it’s like to live on a small reservation whose casino is its income source. The nation has certain rights that allow it to govern without state or federal oversight. And just as state and federal governments sometimes have trouble coordinating with each other, adding the nation to the mix can get even more troublesome. With reservation politics just as painful as U.S. politics, it is a very hard place for idealism to have much sway.

Mitch is a great narrator. Through him and his musings we get a first-hand view of what is going on, and if it’s a bit murky, that’s probably because Mitch has his own problems and is trying to find his way.

The timeline is its own force in this story, and the election day climax is as dramatic as one could wish and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

Big Chief chronicles the life of a man who grapples with his identity and the political climate on the reservation. The novel questions loyalty, introducing a variety of characters whose motives share the same theme. The plot fell through for me because it felt convoluted as far as the sequence of events. However, I did enjoy the flashbacks of the past that gave you context on the characters. In terms of the characters, I did not feel a connection with them which is a reason that I did not rate it 4 stars. Overall, a good, slow burn.

“Big Chief” feels like a fever dream, and even after sitting with it for a few days, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. The story is intense-read against the backdrop of the fraught and chaotic US presidential election, it became imbued with an immediacy that it may have lacked during another time. The story itself is an old one-people who feel ignored and unwelcome in their community rising up against the current power base with momentum that will not be denied. The challenged reacting with violence-we do know that part of the story. The last half of this book thrums with the anger of the people from the Indian Nation who seek change, and the confusion and reactionary tendencies of the people in charge. This narrative wave is where the author really shines.
However, what doesn’t work for me about this book is the lack of character development. I could follow the “big picture” part of the story, yet I found myself confused many times about things various characters said or did. What drove them? What was the motivation? Sure, most people who have some sort of power are loath to give it up if the option to hang onto it presents itself. But how did they wind up in power in the first place? Why were Maureen and Mitch’s mom friends? How did Joe-a white man-wind up on the reservation? There were a lot of unanswered questions for me, and that detracted from my overall enjoyment.
This was a solid read. The structure was good and the writing was lyrical without getting bogged down with too many descriptors. If we could just get the characters more fleshed out, this would have been great. I’m curious to see what the next book from Jon Hickey will look like.

Too dark and gritty for me, but the lyrical style of the author was great. I'd happily check out other works by Hickey in a different genre.