Truth and Bright Water: A Novel [Paperback]

Thomas King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2001

Thomas King is a writer of lyrical, comic poignancy, and a best-selling author in Canada. Of his latest novel, Newsday wrote, "Thomas King has quietly and gorgeously done it again." Truth and Bright Water tells of a summer in the life of Tecumseh and Lum, young Native-American cousins coming of age in the Montana town of Truth, and the Bright Water Reserve across the river in Alberta. It opens with a mysterious woman with a suitcase, throwing things into the river -- then jumping in herself. Tecumseh and Lum go to help, but she and her truck have disappeared. Other mysteries puzzle Tecumseh: whether his mom will take his dad back; if his rolling-stone aunt is home to stay; why no one protects Lum from his father's rages. Then Tecumseh gets a job helping an artist -- Bright Water's most famous son -- with the project of a lifetime. As Truth and Bright Water prepare for the Indian Days festival, their secrets come together in a climax of tragedy, reconciliation, and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this winning bildungsroman, King (Green Grass, Running Water) demonstrates once again his extraordinarily moving vision of contemporary Native America. The book follows the relationship between two boys, narrator Tecumseh and Lum, and the story, set in motion by a mystery, takes place among Blackfoot Indians living on the U.S./Canadian border in two towns separated by the Shield river (Truth is in Montana, and Bright Water is on an Ottawa Indian reservation). The youths witness a woman dump the contents of a suitcase off a river bluff and then jump into the abyss herself, but by the time they get to the spot, she's nowhere to be seen. Other mysteries are created by significant homecomings: Tecumseh's free-spirited, world-traveling Aunt Cassie is in town, but no one will tell Tecumseh why; and "famous Indian artist" Monroe Swimmer buys the old mission church on the reservation and moves in. Swimmer is a trickster who paints his hilltop abode in trompe l'oeil clouds and sky and sets artificial buffalo around it, so that to the naked eye below, it's almost invisible. Closer in tone to King's debut, Medicine River, than to the antics of Green Grass, Running Water, this book exhibits the author's keen powers of observation and captures the essence of reservation life with dark humor and cutting satire. But the wry humor mediates and belies desperation, with 15-year-old Tecumseh fixated on getting his mother to reconcile with his dreamy but shiftless father. All plots come together, some in tragedy, and all mysteries are solved as Indian Days approaches. This sharp-edged novel is also King's sweetest; there's plenty of magic, yet it's also his most realistic book thus far. Readers familiar with King's work will revel in it, while new readers will discover his extraordinary narrative power. Agent, Lisa Bankoff, ICM. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Truth is a railroad town in the United States, and Bright Water, an Indian reserve right across the river in Canada. Tecumseh is a 15-year-old who regularly crosses between the two with his dog, Soldier, and his cousin and almost constant companion, Lum. The novel is written in the first person, and the action takes place during a few short weeks in the summer. "Indian Days" are coming to Bright Water, attracting tourists from around the world. Vagabond aunt Cassie has arrived for one of her brief visits, and "famous Indian artist" Monroe Swimmer has also returned home. One evening, the cousins watch as a woman conducts a strange ritual at "the Horns" (twin stone pillars on the American side). She dances, sings, and throws something into the river and then jumps in after it. Later, Soldier retrieves a child-size human skull from the river, but there is no sign of the woman. Her story is just one of the mysteries Tecumseh hopes to solve this summer. His quest to discover family secrets and find his place in the tribal society will take him through immense changes before "Indian Days" draw to an end. King (Green Grass, Running Water) is perhaps Canada's best-known Native writer. His rich storytelling recommends this book for public libraries, as well as for Native writing collections in academic libraries.DDebbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (October 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802138403
• ISBN-13: 978-0802138408
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one gem of a book..., November 21, 2000

By 

Caz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Truth and Bright Water (Hardcover)

For those who don't know this author, Thomas King is a Native American/Greek Canadian who daylights as an English Professor at the University of Guelph. What he really shines at, though, is writing fiction. And he's as genuine a voice in literature as the Native population could ask for.

This book, 'Truth and Bright Water' is a fabulous read - I was hooked in from the first sentence and didn't put the book down until I'd finished it. Nine hours of marathon reading, in which I was totally absorbed in the lives of the characters.

Thomas has an outstanding ability to take his word arrangements and create pictures/emotions for his readers; I could actually envision the landscapes he described, and astutely knew the emotions and perceptions he was calling forth from his characters.

Tecumseh (especially) and Lum are two teenage cousins who roll through life - seemingly on the fringe but fully embroiled in the events and lives of those around them. For Tecumseh, there's enlightenment and understanding, for Lum despair and alienation. The supporting cast is sometimes a downer, but many of the characters are wacky and hilarious. Another 'main' character in the book is Tecumseh's dog, Soldier, and the dog serves as a picture of the heart of Tecumseh's people, as does Tecumseh himself. Though their way of life was crushed in many ways, their hope, bravery, and stalwart endurance continues on.

King is a phenomenal observer of human character and what makes humanity tick - and this discernment shines through every word of the book. As well, he turns society's impression of 'a dumb Indian' on its heels and reveals the complex insight and wisdom that Natives have and hold. Their genuine character shines through brilliantly in each and every person featured in the book.

A fabulous read... and it's set me on a course to get the rest of King's books (he has a few now). I surely do hope that Thomas King continues to write the stories that swirl about in his head. He's a fabulous read - poignant, entertaining, provoking, prophetic, and insightful. All the best of what the reader could hope for. This title gets two big thumbs up from me.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indian History Within Narratored Stories, January 13, 2001

By 

Robin Ridington "Robin Ridington" (Galiano, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Truth and Bright Water (Hardcover)

The novel gives us two levels of story. One is narrated by a teenage boy, Tecumseh. The other is a reflection on Indian history. The narrator's name should give the reader a clue. The Cherokees who show up for "Indian Days" (also July 1, Canada Day) are all real characters who lived through the Indian removals we know as "the trail of tears." In Bright Water, they stay at the "Happy Trails Trailer Park." The figure of Monroe Swimmer evokes both President Monroe who initiated the removals policy, and nineteenth-century Cherokee medicine man, Swimmer. Monroe Swimmer is an artist who paints the white men out of the landscape; literally a reversal of Indian removals, with the Indian artist being an active agent this time. There's lots more going on; Geronimo and Truth or Consequences NM and General Nelson Miles for instance. See a forthcoming article in "Canadian Literature" by Robin Ridington for lots more.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Superb Story from Thomas King, November 3, 2000

By 

Lady Sankofa (Eureka Springs, Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Truth and Bright Water (Hardcover)

Truth and Bright Water tells the story of one summer as witnessed by the fifteen-year-old son, Tecumseh, of estranged parents, Helen and Elvin. Tecumseh watches as the summer unfolds and the Indians from the towns of Truth (on the American side of the Shield River) and Bright Water (in Canada) prepare for the annual festival, Indian Days. Truth and Bright Water is the story of two homecomings: the reserve's most famous resident, Monroe Swimmer, and Cassie, Helen's sister. Monroe returns to "restore" the reserve, and Cassie comes back to make amends for past mistakes. On the verge of young adulthood, Tecumseh attempts to understand the complexities of life and searches for answers to his questions: why have Monroe and Cassie returned; will his father and mother reconcile; why is no one able to help his cousin, Lum, sort through his anger, pain, and confusion over his mother's death and his father's continued physical abuse. Tecumseh oversees all the events of the summer: the preparation for Indian Days; Lum's intense training for the foot-race he plans to win; his father's struggle to make his carpentry talent pay off and to win back Tecumseh's mother while also sliding further back into alcoholism. He watches Monroe's interaction (or lack thereof) with the Indians on the reserve, and he painfully learns that life is filled with loss, love, tragedy, and continuance. King's amazing gift with language and imagery is one for the reader to truly savor. King has said that he wants to write stories that deal with that range of human emotions and experience all people share. Truth and Bright Water is not the first novel in which he has done so. Readers should also check out "Medicine River" and the more funny but difficult "Green Grass, Running Water." This novel is more than just a coming-of-age story about Tecumseh, but an in-depth look at the way lives are led and how truth is perceived. An excellent addition to King's growing list of stories.