I have always loved this author. He brings Native American culture into his stories, no matter what the time period is, which is interesting. Usually his stories are set in Minnesota, but I liked that he ventured farther afield in this book. Odie reminded me of Huckleberry Finn, which I believe was the author's intention. Instead of going down a river on a raft with a black man though, Odie takes to the Minnesota River, and then the Mississippi River, in a canoe with a mute Souix Indian teenager (Mose), Odie's older brother (Albert) and a young girl (Emmy) that they rescued from the Indian School they all lived at. These four kids were certainly resourceful. They each had different skills which helped them on their journey.
Mose was strong and an extremely hard worker. Albert was a genius when it came to machines/engineering. Odie was a quick thinker and was able to talk his way in and out of difficult situations. (He was a talented liar too.) Emmy's special gift was fascinating. I didn't understand at first why no one thought her "fits" were epileptic seizures. From the very beginning though I wondered why she always seemed to have a "message" to share with others after her "fit". I also wondered why she seemed to know who was dangerous and who could be trusted. She told Odie to hide two $5 bills in his boot very early on, and yet he actually didn't need to use them until nearly the end of their journey. The only reason why I trusted Sister Eve is because Emmy did! Otherwise I would have figured her for a fraud and worried about them being in danger the entire time they were with her.
I wasn't sure how four children could escape being sent to live in a Children's Home - or sent back to the Indian School - or sent to live in an Orphanage, once they were finally "caught" in St. Louis. But I guess the 1930's were definitely different times. Children were treated as adults by the time they were 14 years old back then! At the end, the only thing I questioned is Emmy being allowed to stay with Sister Eve. They are not related at all, and Emmy was so young. It seemed like she got to choose who she lived with, which is odd even for 1932. No social worker check-ins back then! I didn't think that Odie should be held responsible for the death of DiMarco, so I'm glad that he wasn't. Good riddance to a horrible man. I did wonder about Odie shooting Jack though. I guess we need to thank Emmy for getting Odie out of that mess. I was really glad that Jack didn't kill his wife, daughter and best friend! I was worried about those fresher graves on his property! (Along with his anger management issues of course).
I had no idea how this book would end! I was surprised by Odie's parentage for sure. (That was the biggest "reveal" of the story.) The four of them each seemed to know what was best for themselves though and their decisions seemed realistic based on their age/talents. (And Emmy needed Sister Eve to guide her with her special gift).
I will continue to read whatever this author writes!
Wendy's Rating: *****
