National Native American Heritage Month, observed in November, honors the histories, cultures, and contributions – historical and ongoing – of Turtle Island’s native peoples. One way to do this is through reading the stories of Indigenous authors. Check out one of these recent titles in adult fiction!
Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Band, Chippewa) is one of the most well-known and prolific Native American authors in contemporary literature, but perhaps a bit surprisingly, has penned only two short story collections in her over 25 published works. Python’s Kiss came out this year and contains thirteen stories written over the past two decades, written with Erdrich’s trademark empathy and strong sense of place. Set mostly in rural communities in the northern Midwest, the stories are made even richer with the accompanying art drawn by Aza Erdrich Abe, a wonderful collaboration between mother and daughter.
Leave Our Bones Where They Lay by Inuk author Aviaq Johnston is a slim book, clocking in at just 112 pages, but packs a punch in that short time. Jupi makes an arduous pilgrimage each solstice to a remote cliff, where he lights an oil lamp and waits for a mythical being to whom he shares stories, like his ancestors before him. But Jupi is aging and his sons aren’t up to carrying on the tradition, so he connects with his granddaughter to teach her the ways and convince her to take on this weight. Interspersed between each chapter are the stories shared with Kupik, which range from fable to horror, and emphasize the power of storytelling.
Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfeet) may be the biggest name in Indigenous horror and he’s back with Off the Reservation, the sequel to 2020’s The Only Good Indians, set five years after the massacre events of that novel. One of the only survivors, Nathan Yellow Tail, finds himself in a ragtag group of Blackfeet folks on a mission to repatriate the remains of a Blackfeet boy from the infamous Carlisle Indian Boarding School. But more than the bones come back with them in this mix of paranormal horror and dark humor packaged into a road trip novel.
If you want more in Indigenous horror, Never Whistle at Night. Part II, Back for Blood offers twenty-one brand-new stories that delve into every facet of horror, from gore to the supernatural, monsters both imagined and very real. The follow up to 2023’s acclaimed Never Whistle at Night leans deeper into the sinister, with a mix of established authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Tommy Orange, and Ramona Emerson, and new voices sourced from an open call, including Jessice Doe and Jake Arrowtop.
Moving away from horror, Five Seasons of Charlie Francis by Danica Roache is a debut novel that explores grief, family, and identity through the experience of the titular Charlie Francis. Feeling stuck in her master’s program and situationship, Charlie takes a swerve when her beloved uncle dies, diving into an academic career and unexpectedly getting pregnant to boot. As Charlie navigates new parenthood and her career, she also struggles with how to uphold and pass along her Mi’kmaw identity.
For more titles, check out Seattle Picks: Native American Fiction.
~posted by Jane S.
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