Justice

Throughout his novel, Weiden examines the imperfect nature of justice, questioning the various ways in which a single person may be incapable of righting a wrong. This is mainly done through Virgil’s first-person reflections, as he actively questions his role as someone who is committed to seeking justice for others. He is honest with the reader about how his desire for personal revenge sometimes plays into his decisions. For example, as he is attempting to track Rick Crow to determine his involvement in the movement of heroin on the reservation, he is dealing with multiple motivations: Ben has asked Virgil to confront Rick about his actions and offered to pay him for it; Virgil’s nephew Nathan overdosed on heroin as a result of the operations that Virgil believes Rick to have been involved in; Rick bullied Virgil in school, and so Virgil desires revenge...