Early in her novel, Fontaine writes, “. . .the grey skin of a man who is too young for the varnished wooden box with its gilt pattern and golden handles” (13).  A beautiful and tragic sentence, which in many ways sums up this slim novel.

                It isn’t so much a novel but more a collection of prose poems about the life of a reservation.  The characters, if that is the right terms, are nameless and, for the most part faceless, but that makes it more powerful.  The episodic, poetic style is like that of Split Tooth and Niirlit, both of which are pre-dated by this book.  I wonder if it is capturing of narrative oral story telling in written form.

                It is also a mediation on nature and a way of life that is threatened, a need to find a sense of self where a world does not value the traditions and lives of one’s people.

                “Tonight, neither the city nor the airplanes colour the sky with a soft purple as sinuous as a wolf” (26).

                Part of the loss is the encroaching of Western culture, of the arrival of non-Indigenous people to lands that were free of lights of cities. 

                “Three hours of chaos to reach the intimacy of a lake much too beautiful to remain hidden, but too remote for most human eyes” (20)

                There is so much to unpack in that sentence.  The beauty of nature, the fact that not many will see it, the belief that people should see it, as well as the knowledge that too many visitors will ruin it.

                The book is a haunting meditation.  Part song of loss, part song of hope, part song of knowing.  It is a quiet masterpiece of strength.

BEYOND LILA

TRACY FONTAINE

ISBN:  1491073381 (ISBN13: 9781491073384)

This one was better than #5, but not quite as compelling as the first few.  But I think that's to be expected as a series progresses: familiarity with the characters and the storytelling creates a higher set of expectations.

Love has made Verlaque soft.  This isn't a bad thing, but I'll admit he's slightly less interesting now that the sharp edges have been softened.  Marine had far fewer pages in this book, which was a little bit of a disappointment; I liked her presence and contributions to earlier cases in previous books.  

There were several plots going at once, all interwoven together and delightfully - and believably - muddying each others' waters.  Almost all of the stories were interesting (one was a bit meh) and the resolution concerning the murder victim's drug usage/dealing was  so very cheeky; I loved it.  In the background runs the Curse of La Fontaine, adding a touch of atmosphere to everything.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and am very pleased there's another one on its way; I'm really looking forward to its release.

This works for the Book themes for Advent: [...] or a book featuring 4 siblings.   The murder victim is 1 of 4 brothers, and at least one of the other brothers plays a significant part in the book; the other two brothers appear frequently as well. 

(With this cover, it also works for the Pancha Ganapati book theme: the cover is entirely yellow, with orange text and black illustrations.)

Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer. 

Jean de La Fontaine

According to popular rumor, French poet Jean de La Fontaine (born July 8, 1621) challenged his wife's lover to a duel. After the fight, which resulted in little injury, La Fontaine insisted that the man carry on visiting his wife.

A few decades from now, the government of the United States (although I don't think it's directly called that, but it's clear that's what it is) has become the totalitarian regime so many fear, imposing a type of public "civility" on the citizenry. Public protests are closed down by the authorities, but keep springing up (and seem to be coordinated in a way that the authorities can't pin down) -- and then they evolve into organized resistance groups and information dissemination efforts (counter-propaganda efforts).

On the whole, the book focuses on the resistance groups, their allies and those they aid -- with the occasional look at those in power and their operatives. The resistance groups are full of people who are looking for different things -- some out of ideology, some out of concern for the safety and health of their loved ones, there are even criminals who help just to get under the heavy thumb of the government, some just want a way to express themselves and make art rather than be "contributing members of society."

In different ways, these people (and many others) work together (and apart) to force the government to get back to its own foundational principles. There are glimpses of violence here, but mostly this takes place between the battles -- in the ramping up to them, or in the aftermath. It's violent enough to satisfy those who want that and to seem grounded in the subject, but that's not the focus. The focus is on what the struggle means to people and what it does to them -- some characters are scarred, some characters are driven to find hidden strength(s), a few characters are both.

I noted while reading this that the type of government/society depicted in a dystopian novel tells you a lot about the politics of the author -- as does what the characters of behind the resistance/opposition want to replace it. Fontaine grew up in the U.S.S.R., and knows a little about real dystopia, that's reflected in these pages, too. Her vision of the future isn't one you typically see in fiction -- and agree with her or not -- it's a breath of fresh air.

I've read works that were better written, more convincing -- but this one hit me right. I love the vision of this book, the way that Fontaine gets her characters to work together -- even when there's little reason to. Their hopes of the good life -- or at least a better one -- really resonated with me. There wasn't (much) drive for vengeance, it wasn't one or two people against the system -- it was a variety of people, doing various things that drove the action of this novel. A solid effort, an entertaining and borderline inspirational read. I hope to see more from Fontaine in the future.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.