Ghost Dancing (Picador of St Martin's Press)

A linked collection of Native American-themed stories, set in the Pacific Northwest and Oklahoma, by a gifted new author Story by graceful story, Ghost Dancing reveals the evolving worlds of Jimmy One Rock, his wife Mary, and their family as they struggle together on a decaying reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Alternating between Washington state and Jimmy's childhood on an Oklahoma reservation, these stories link past and present through memory, myth, ceremony, and a sly humor that undercuts the reverence of outsiders. In spare yet rich language, Anna Linzer creates a memorable portrait of contemporary Native American life. Here is a collection as open and honest and authentic as the characters that it documents, appealing and accessible, as bittersweet as it is lovely.