Customer Reviews

Truth and Bright Water: A Novel

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.

This novel didn't work well for me. I agree with the other reviewer's praise for Thomas King's great way with language and description. We do indeed get the picture painted of the towns of Truth and Bright Water. The incidents in the story such as the buffalo run where tourists shoot buffalo with paint pellet guns on motorcycles are interesting. I failed to connect with this book because of the lack of resolution in the plot. Tecumseh's mother keeps disappearing for days on end, mysteriously and without explanation. At the end of the book, the only explanation I could come up with was that she was in play rehearsals for Snow White. The irony of Snow White as play produced by Indians is wonderful, but what play rehearsal lasts days; and what mother wouldn't tell her son where she's going? Throughout the novel, we wonder whether Tecumseh's mother and father will reunite. At the conclusion of the novel, this relationship is as fuzzy as it was during the novel; so why did King repeatedly bring it up? We also wonder at the mystery of Aunt Cassie and the suitcase with baby clothes. Is she pregnant? At the end, she burns the clothes and that's all we know about that. Cousin Lum is kicked out of his house by his abusive father Franklin. Neither his aunt nor uncle go and help the boy. They leave him to live under a bridge with wild dogs. Like King, I'm also a Native American hybrid; and I seek out good Native American literature like Eden Robinson's first novel Monkey Beach. This book has great characters, the incidents are interesting, but the plot is like a train that goes nowhere. Was that the point?

Similar to what 2 other reviewers mentioned, I found this book to be nice on landscape description but was puzzled that almost none of the key threads running through this story (e.g., abusive parent, emotional wounds from the past, unwanted pregnancy) were ever fleshed out or came to any conclusion. I don't require that a book ends with a nice tidy ending but these themes were so central to the characters and place that it would have been nice to see them through. But overall I did enjoy the book, just might not recommend it strongly.

Pulling the old book off the shelf, I remember the faint memory of when this bookI was read to me. Reading it again refreshes my memory of the times I sat on the bed, listening to words strung together like beads on a string. They make up a story of a boy not so long ago and far away.

The intriguing book had me crouched together, rocking back and forth, hungry for every word which told lies, theories and memories. What does she mean? Why did he say that? Why does he act that way? Thoughts racing through my mind as I was read Truth and Bright Water.

I read it again to write this review. I've decided to mention a few interesting aspects of the novel that made it worthwhile in my opinion.

It happens every so often that the boy telling the story will have a flashback which may not always be important to the book but helps reveal things about the people around Tecumseh, the main character who is telling the story. Some of his memories include his mother's reactions of when his father moved to Truth, the stories his grandmother told of his mother and Auntie Cassie, and the day the old church got sold to Monroe Swimmer. Reading Tecumseh's memories was like thinking you took a wrong turn only to realize you were heading in the right direction the whole time. It wasn't a lost feeling or a feeling of isolation but rather Tecumseh's childhood told from an innocent point of view. It gave the book a human touch.

In reading this novel, you would discover soon that whenever two people are having a conversation, they are really having two or three conversations at the same time. For example:
"Now that school's out," my mother says, "I guess you'll be looking for something to do."
"What's for breakfast?"
"The railroad might be hiring this summer," says my mother.
"Sausage?"
"You should check with Wally Preston over at the job gate."
"Eggs would be okay."
"Cereal's in the cupboard," she says.
"French toast?"
"Spoon's in the drawer."
-pg.17

One could argue that there are psychological reasons for this, but I'm not going to go down that road.

In numerous chapters, two things are happening at the same time. One example of this situation is when you read Tecumseh's thoughts about a private matter, and then there are the conversations that he has with the person beside him. He'll jump back to his thoughts without warning but never fails to get interrupted. It's really not unusual because I'm sure it happens to the average person once a day. It's only unusual to have it written on paper.

This book is unique because it doesn't stay on track. The adventures are definitely something that you would not experience out here in the urban centers. At the same time, Truth and Bright Water is different from something that would take place in the Hundred Acre Wood or Sherwood Forest. The experiences of Tecumseh are modern with difficult solutions and the journey who's path is grey instead of black and white. This novel leaves a different sort of flavour in your mouth. I would definitely not recommend this novel to the happy-go-lucky person who can't handle all the difficulties in the world. There is just too much bitterness. So why would you read this book? It's bittersweet. Prickly on the outside and soft on the inside. I found it really fascinating this boy who wants to care so much for the people around him but everyone thinks he doesn't understand their situation. Tecumseh's narration proves that he understands more than anyone really thinks. So if you are the rebel (or remember your rebel days), I would think that you would find this novel quite the eye-opener. If you are one of those who like to read till your brain has gone to mush, this is one book you would enjoy as well. If you are one of those who think you have too many problems and don't need to think about more, this book is not for you. It's bittersweet and no symphony of grace.

Quieter than _Green Grass Running Water_, this one hits just as hard. How does Tom King manage to be such a brilliantly complicated master of The Novel (capital letters), while keeping his stories airborne, graceful, surprising? Run right out and buy this one, y'all. It's staggering.