Louise Erdrich’s latest novel, The Mighty Red, commences with a teenage nuptials, reminiscent of a Chuck Berry song, in North Dakota. Although the elderly well-wishing audience echoes the song’s sentiment, the bride and groom and other attendees do not. The book begins with the clumsy and amusing tale of Gary’s proposition to Kismet, who accepts albeit unwillingly, in order not to hurt his ego.
Despite only being 18, Kismet has a fondness for Hugo, who is two years younger. Their clandestine rendezvous let her believe she has control over her life, although she seems to be heedlessly tossing it away.
Erdrich finds joy in delving into these three unique characters – Kismet’s innate benevolence, Hugo’s quirks, and Gary’s foolishness, creating them with a touch of sentiment. She builds a community around them, still saddened by the harrowing event that claimed the lives of a few high school football attendees, with Gary playing a pivotal role in it. Nevertheless, Crystal, Kismet’s mother, emerges as the ethical center of the story. Despite being surrounded by chaos on the eve of her daughter’s wedding due to an unexpected scandal, she remains resilient and poised.
The females in this narrative are portrayed as powerful figures. Crystal is undeterred by disgrace, Kismet insists on being heard, and Winnie, Gary’s mother, conceals her deep anguish while posing as the sturdy materfamilias. The male characters, however, are primarily dim-witted or lawbreakers, seemingly wearing the pants but ignorant of the havoc they are wreaking on their households.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich unveils timeless themes akin to Steinbeck’s works and combines compelling personal narratives with vigorous journalism, much like Shooting Crows by Trevor Birney. Andrew Michael Hurley confesses to being a ‘lapsed Catholic’ but finds solace in eerie tales that fill the void.
“The Mighty Red delves into the inclination of individuals to yield to despair in the visible shadow of deprivation or monotony. Erdrich gradually unfolds the circumstances surrounding an event that precedes the novel’s beginning, disclosing distressing revelations. A pervading fragrance of decomposing beets lends a timeless feel to the narrative set amidst rural landscapes. Regardless of its timeline being in 2008/2009, there’s the possibility of it mirroring the circumstances of Steinbeck’s age, reminiscent of the characters afflicted during the time of great economic depression, which his remarkable writings captured.
The most recent work by John Boyne is titled Fire.”