Where Wolves Don’t Die
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Where Wolves Don’t Die
Riding on the snow machine was slow and bumpy at first because there was no obvious trail. But once we made our way down to the Rainy Lake shore, Grandpa Liam opened it up. The wind started to needle through my coat and the sweat close to my body felt like a frigid towel, but I didn’t complain. I wanted to see and smell everything. I felt free riding on the snowmobile – nothing but clean, clear snow, ice, and trees for miles around. The sunlight was brilliant across the winter landscape, making everything glint and glitter. It felt like we were cruising through fields and fields of diamonds. I wondered if we would see more wolves; if I would get to shoot my first moose; if Grandpa would show me his secrets.
Once we cleared the bay, we were back in the woods. There was a trail here, but we must have been the first people to use it this winter. The snow drifted and settled on the trail and we had to go slow, because any fallen trees could stop the Ski-Doo instantly and get us all killed. Twice I had to hop off the Ski-Doo and use an ax to clear fallen trees. Eventually, we started to ascend a series of hills, steeper and steeper until we came to a clearing on top of a large, rocky prominence with a view for miles in all directions, and saw a tiny log cabin nestled by the edge of the clearing among a stand of balsam.
Grandpa Liam gunned the Ski-Doo and pulled up right by the door. “Home,” he said.”
Ezra Cloud is a 15-year-old living in Northeast Minneapolis. He is often bullied but manages to control his temper. However, when bully Matt Schroeder decides to pick on Ezra’s good friend Nora, his hard-won control snaps. Rather than hit Matt, Ezra aims for the locker right beside his head, resulting in a dent in the metal, a broken hand for Ezra and problems with school officials. When Matt’s home burns and he barely gets out alive, the police become suspicious. Knowing his son is innocent, yet also aware that indigenous youth are often scapegoated, the solution suggested by Ezra’s dad is that they head north to Canada and the reserve where Ezra’s
grandparents live to visit them for Christmas. In fact, Ezra stays there for the rest of the winter and joins Grandpa Liam out on his trap lines.
Ezra is a young man who matures greatly within the novel. To begin with, he learns about working hard without complaining as he shadows his grandfather on his daily trapping rounds. Ezra’s living miles from anywhere with only his grandfather for company enables Ezra to also learn about his immediate family as well as his Ojibwe culture and traditions. Lastly, Ezra confronts his feelings about his father and realizes that his dad didn’t let him down but rather did the very best he could in difficult circumstances when Ezra’s mom died.
Grandpa Liam is the other main character in the book, and he plays the role of the elder who passes on knowledge to the next generation. He teaches Ezra practical skills such as hunting and trapping and navigating the remote area where the cabin is located. As well, he uses stories and legends to help Ezra understand his Ojibwe culture. The two discuss survival – not simply the literal survival of a winter in the wilderness but the figurative and culture survival of indigenous people. Among other things, he talks to him about being part of wolf clan and describes the link between these animals and their family.
Other characters include Ezra’s dad and grandmother as well as his friend Nora and her family. All add details to the plot as well as giving the reader a sense of contemporary life for indigenous people both on and off the reservation. While the novel is set in modern times, author Treuer also weaves in history as he mentions residential schools and the mistreatment, both past and present, of indigenous people and indigenous lands. The themes of forgiveness and reconciliation are important on an individual level for Ezra and his dad, as well as on the broader culture level.
The crime near the onset of the novel provides a plot device so Ezra leaves the city and discovers his roots. While the crime is eventually solved at the end of the book, the story doesn’t revolve around the crime and doesn’t fit the mystery/thriller category.
Treuer adds some Ojibwe translations at the end of the book and also a few details about his own life: “I too come from a large family of Native hunters, trappers, and harvesters whose woodsy knowledge shaped me in many ways.” (p. 310). This background gives the story authenticity and helps readers see things from an indigenous perspective.
Ann Ketcheson, a retired teacher-librarian and high school teacher of English and French, lives in Ottawa, Ontario.