Louis Owens delivers another incredible example of Native American fiction – a strong example of the NA canon but also just a good piece of literature in general. Unfortunately, I did not find that Wolfsong measured up to the quality of Dark River or Bone Game, but it was still a good read. Once again, Owens relies on postmodernism, incorporating elements of technology and the oral tradition to weave his story. Each character was purposeful and contributed to the story. I had a lot of sympathy for everyone in this fictional version of Forks, but I wouldn’t know if it represented the real city, but it certainly represents the hopelessness of many other impoverished cities I have seen and lived in. I had sympathy for Jimmy and even Jake. As always with postmodernism and Native American fiction, I identified more of a collapse of the story’s logic than a traditional climax. Although it’s suggested that possible supernatural or spiritual elements play into the story, there are still certain clues that help us relate to Tom’s decline; “And the men and women swirled toward the dense center of the bar, a thing collapsing inward upon itself, the women in tight pants and skirts, smoking and flirting and laughing, and the husbands in new jeans and flannel shirts shouting and slapping one another” (pg 184).The more I read of his work, the more acutely aware I become of his depression and the dark cloud of oppression and identity confusion that exists in the Native American community – and basically everywhere although it is less pronounced in other communities.I found the book reminding me of No Country for Old Men (the film) and Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson. Both have similar exhaustive pacing and elements of struggle and desperation within a realistic broken reality.
