Indian Horse

by Richard Wagamese

Named a "Best Novel of the Decade" by Literary Hub

Saul Indian Horse is a child when his family retreats into the woods. Among the lakes and the cedars, they attempt to reconnect with half-forgotten traditions and hide from the authorities who have been kidnapping Ojibway youth. But when winter approaches, Saul loses everything: his brother, his parents, his beloved grandmother--and then his home itself.

Alone in the world and placed in a horrific boarding school, Saul is surrounded by violence and cruelty. At the urging of a priest, he finds a tentative salvation in hockey. Rising at dawn to practice alone, Saul proves determined and undeniably gifted. His intuition and vision are unmatched. His speed is remarkable. Together they open doors for him: away from the school, into an all-Ojibway amateur circuit, and finally within grasp of a professional career. Yet as Saul's victories mount, so do the indignities and the taunts, the racism and the hatred--the harshness of a world that will never welcome him, tied inexorably to the sport he loves.

Spare and compact yet undeniably rich, Indian Horse is at once a heartbreaking account of a dark chapter in our history and a moving coming-of-age story.

• ISBN10: 1553654021
• ISBN13: 9781553654025
• Publish Date: 7 March 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Douglas & McIntyre
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 220
• Language: English

Reviews

[lovelybookshelf]

INDIAN HORSE is about trauma and the long road of healing. It's not a fast read, despite its page count (about 220 pages). The narrative is rich, intense, and because it deals with racism and Canada's residential schools, often brutal. This is the kind of book you read slowly, sitting with what's happening and what the implications will be for the character's life. This was my first time reading Wagamese's work, and it won't be my last.