Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt's house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won't get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra's family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him. . .
From acclaimed author Anton Treuer comes a novel that's both taut thriller and a raw, tender coming-of-age story, about one Ojibwe boy learning to love himself through the love of his family around him."
Where Wolves Don't Die follows Ezra Cloud, an Ojibwe teen living in Northeast Minneapolis who hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), events at home prompt his father to take him to his grandparents home on the reservation, where he is to spend the rest of the school year laying traplines with his grandfather out on remote First Nations land in Canada.
I actually hadn't realized this was considered YA until I got into the story, and after finishing it, I think it's a great read for both YA and adult readers. The author, Dr. Anton Treuer, is an Ojibwe language professor and was able to bring so much of the Ojibwe cultural traditions into this story, which I think makes for a compelling read for anyone. (Also, just as a side note--if you're like me and wondered if Anton Treuer is related to David Treuer, the answer is that yes, apparently they are brothers! I've read David Treuer's The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, an incredible nonfiction Native American history, and his book Rez Life, a nonfiction book about life on reservations, and I'd highly recommend both to read as well.)
I thought Ezra was depicted incredibly well. He's depicted as exactly what he is: a teenager just trying to make it through this rough age and come to terms with many different struggles and things going on in his life. He struggles wit the the loss of his mother, his relationship with his father, his family history, and of course, a crush on a sweet local girl. I thought Treuer really captured that angsty feeling we all are familiar with from teen years, and I think he also did a good job with capturing Ezra's grief and the many ways it manifests itself in a teen--through anger, sadness, and struggling to communicate how you feel.
I loved the history and cultural aspects of this book where Ezra learns more and more about his family's history and some deeper Native American history that he wasn't aware of. He learns about not only some of the terrible things that have been done to his people, but also how these have directly affected his family and how he can learn and incorporate and grow with that knowledge. I also actually found learning about how the traplines worked really interesting, and I also appreciated the amount of respect they teach with regard to the nature around them and every living thing within it.
This is described as thriller, but I have to say that there wasn't too much about this book that felt like a thriller. There's the general premise for why Ezra is sent to stay with his grandparents on the First Nation reservation involving him being a suspect in the burning of his high school bully's house (the same day he got into a fight with said bully at school), but I didn't think this really took a heavy focus as there was so much else to focus on throughout the story. The pacing is consistent and thoughtful, rather than fast-paced and intense, and I think that pacing worked perfectly for this story. I never found myself losing interest or struggling to get through any parts of it.
Lastly, I want to note that I listened to the audiobook version of Where Wolves Don't Die and liked that it was narrated by the author. He did a great job with the narration, and I also appreciated hearing the story as he meant it to be heard, as well as being able to hear pronunciations for so many of the words that I was unfamiliar with. He has a very calm, easy to understand voice that flowed well with the story.
Where Wolves Don't Die is a story that will keep you reading because of its characters and because of the tradition it shares. There are some great things to learn about the Ojibwe culture and their history and how everything winds together into a story that transcends time periods and age.
