"Tracks" takes place in North Dakota during a time with Native American tribes were struggling to hold on to the little land they could still claim as their own. The story is told by two narrators, Nanapush and Pauline Puyat. Nanapush recalls tribal tales and is a fountain of knowledge about the past, where Pauline is from the young generation who is looking to the future rather than the past. Would recommend to high schoolers and up. Technically the third book in the series, but chronologically it is first. ( )

This novel takes us back in time, before either Love Medicine or The Beet Queen, and enhances our understanding of the relationships among many of the characters we met in those two novels. We see how "family" is defined not just by blood but by affinity and intent. And we see how treacherous it can be to navigate the lake waters and shores of Matchimanito when under the influence of passion. Narrated alternately by Nanapush whom we trust, and by Pauline Puyat whom perhaps we shouldn't, the early life of Fleur Pillager and her fearsome connection with something outside the realm of human powers, is the primary story line here. Recurring threads are the questionable parentage of certain children, and the consequences of crossing a woman who has faced and bested death so many times. Nanapush tells his tales to Fleur's daughter, Lulu, hoping to convince her to forgive her mother for abandoning her. Wonderful stuff. But this book should not be read as a one-off. It is part of a cycle, and needs to be savored in conjunction with its companions to get the full effect. This is not a failing---it CAN stand alone. It's just that there is so much more to know, and you cheat yourself if you read this one and stop. ( )

This novel deals with several indigenous families living in North Dakota and covers the time from 1912 to 1924. There are two narrators: Nanapush, an elderly man who is somewhat of a trickster figure, and Pauline, a young woman who has become a very strict Christian.
These two narrators tell the reader about the events in the community, especially about Fleur, Nanapush's adopted daughter. Fleur is a fascinating, yet enigmatic character, one of the most interesting and most present characters I have ever encountered in a novel, although the reader hardly gets to know any real facts about her and does not learn about her perspective at all.

The main topic is the influence of the advance of Western/white civilization on the indigenous families depicted in the novel. This includes Christianity as well as bureaucracy, money and the concept of working for money. I think that these topics are presented in a very striking way and sometimes I had to pause my reading to look up for a moment and process what I just read because the pictures evoked were so strong and my emotions were so intense, feeling the longing of the characters, the wish to keep their way of life, the fear and confusion. This effect was mainly reached by strong metaphors and descriptions that are very poetic - some passages are almost like poems. This is why it took me quite a long time to read the novel. Although it is only 226 pages it was not a quick read for me. It was absolutely worth it, though, because I cannot remember the last time that a novel's language did astonish and move me like that.

The only reason that I did not give this five stars is that I disliked the female narrator, Pauline, immensely, and did not enjoy the descriptions of her religious practices at all. They were too graphic for me and I simply could not develop any form of empathy for her, although it was interesting to gather her perspective on the events and how she perceived Fleur.

I will remember this book for a long time and now I definitely want to reread "Love Medicine", and discover other books by Louise Erdrich. ( )

One of the most stunning opening lines in modern fiction: "We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall." ( )

“Power travels in the bloodlines, handed out before birth.”

This is the story of Fleur. And the monster in the lake. And Nanapush. But mostly Fleur, and her fearsome powers! Heck, she drowned three times!

I really enjoyed this book, probably my favorite of the "Love Medicine" series that I've read! Fleur is just such a powerful character, and Nanapush such a great storyteller! This is one of those books that got better as it got longer! ( )