Point of View

The novel is mostly written in the limited third-person mode, and the present tense. There are multiple point-of-view characters in the novel, including Ricky, Gabe, Cassidy, Lewis, Denorah, and the elk spirit. (The novel uses second-person narration when narrating the elk spirit’s perspective.) The novel’s focus on these individual perspectives helps to illuminate the specific challenges common to Native Americans in the modern era. Due to the legacy of oppression perpetrated by white settlers and the U.S. government, as well as continuing systems of oppression, Native Americans face many challenges in terms of prosperity, health, and safety. Additionally, the juxtapositions between individual perspectives highlight dynamics of personal and communal tribulations.

The novel’s story is set approximately in the modern era, but there is an underlying historical perspective that informs the narrative and its themes. First, much significant portions of the story...