This remarkable historical fiction moves sometimes confusedly until you settle into the dual times, places, and characters. The locales are Trinidad and the Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation, from the late 1790s-1830s. Rosa, a young, free Trinidadian Black woman who helps her parents and siblings run a farm and a forge, is under threat from ongoing colonialist power shifts, from Spanish to British to French, and the rulers’ fear of rebellion in the Caribbean. Victor, a teenager living in a Crow settlement with his Ma and his adopted father, the warrior Cut Nose, are all of mixed race, with none of the three having been born into the tribe. Victor, although loves his Montana life, never feels fully accepted and has none of the spiritual visions needed to attain manhood in the tribe. The bridge between these seemingly disparate worlds is the scout Creadon Rampley, moving between the American West and the island. Once the reader gains traction, the connections, conflicts, and outcomes in each locale are intense, violent, and thrilling. This is one of two books (the other being Lonesome Dove) that I started reading again as soon as I finished it, feeling compelled to slow down and savor the skilled writing even more the second time around. This novel is a notable achievement.

Quote: “The English had come and disrupted their lives, with their perfect mismanagement and indecision and inconsistency, with their slow unraveling terror, with their chaos that prevented sure footing, and caused them never to be certain of what would be theirs.” ( )

This book alternates between two storylines. Victor, the son of Rosa, lives with the Crow Nation in Montana. He is on the cusp of manhood and struggling to find his vision. A young Rosa, lives in Trinidad, where her family expects her to cook, clean, and take care of the household. Rosa's talents lie in running the field and working outside, putting her in conflict with her family.

This book was a very interesting mix of stories and cultures. I particularly enjoyed reading about Trinidad, a place I know virtually nothing about. The book did not have a true ending, which I found extremely frustrating. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

Rosa Rendon, the daughter of a free-Black Trinidadian property owner, never fits into the 1790’s Trinidad. By 1830, she’s living with the Crow nation in what is now Montana. Married to a chief , she is raising mixed-race children. When her son grows up and comes across an old diary in Rosa’s belongings, he starts to realize why he cannot fit into the tribe and this takes the two of them on a journey reexplore her Caribbean past. ( )