Book review: Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel
Reviewed by Karl Hele
Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel is the first work of fiction by acclaimed Anishinaabe academic and language teacher Anton Treuer. The novel draws from Treuer’s experiences as a hunter, father, and storyteller. Aimed at young adults, Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel is a coming-of-age story that follows Ezra Cloud’s growth from a potentially troubled teen to a young man setting forth on his path as Anishinaabe. Overall, the work is a wonderful first novel that should appeal to youth, particularly young males.
The novel begins with Ezra as an Anishinaabe teen living in Northeast Minneapolis with his father. His dad, a language teacher at a Minneapolis college, grew up in the busy Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation in Canada. Ezra hates the city and longs to connect with his culture, community, and grandparents. Ezra particularly dislikes the city because of a racist white bully named Matt. Matt is also intent on abusing Ezra’s Anishinaabe love interest, Nora.
After an incident in the highschool, Matt’s home is burned to the ground. Now suspected of causing the fire, Ezra is whisked away by his dad to Canada. In an effort to keep Ezra away from the investigation, the grandfather excitedly agrees to take him trapping where he learns about ceremony, himself, his family, and the land. These experiences directly contribute to Ezra’s growth and transformation from a dependent to a provider – from a child to a young man. As events transpire, Nora and Ezra begin a romantic relationship, Ezra’s grandfather passes, and the police wrap-up their investigation. Ezra also reconciles with his dad while both deal with the grief from the past and recent deaths. The narrative course of the novel is a turbulent, occasionally predicable, ride that is enjoyable, surprising, sad, and joyful.
Being aimed at young adults, I occasionally found the story line a bit stilted and would have loved another chapter or two that followed Ezra and his grandpa trapping. Like all Anishinaabe stories, there are several humorous parts. For instance, grandpa asks his wife that she tell everyone he died while making love to her on his hospital bed – apparently he wanted to be remembered for generations. Sadness, tied to Canadian Indian Residential Schools System and family loss, also follows Ezra, his dad, grandpa, and grandmother; however, the sadness informs the story and its partial resolution leads to character growth while not being the main focus of the story. Additionally, the story’s focus is on male growth and ability to deal with loss and its connected grief. Hence the women in the story – Nora, grandma, and various other aunts and friends – are largely secondary or background characters. Their importance within the family, culture, and ceremony is present but Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel is not about their growth or grief. Simply, the story is about a boy becoming a young man. It shows that men need to grieve, establish connections, communicate, and deal with loss to find their place in the world.
By focussing on Ezra and his growth, Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel weaves a deft tale for a contemporary audience of individuals walking the line between community, family, tradition, and modernity. It, in many ways, provides a visceral vision for readers, particularly males, on the importance of healing, love, family, and connections. I highly recommend Treuer’s novel. It is an enjoyable read for adults and teens alike, albeit its intended audience is young adults. I hope that Treuer continues to follow Ezra and his family in future novels.
Anton Treuer, Where Wolves Don’t Die: A Novel. Monclair: Levine Querido, 2024.