Book Review: The Mighty Red

The Mighty Red
by Louise Erdrich
Review by Renata

At the heart of this boisterous saga set in North Dakota’s Red River Valley is a love triangle formed by three characters barely over the line into adulthood. Golden-boy jock Gary, brainy Goth-girl Kismet, and goofy romantic Hugo constitute more proof – if any was needed – that Erdrich writes some of the best young adults in contemporary fiction. She perfectly captures the tumultuous, melodramatic intensity of the age, and never reduces these brave, funny, foolish, and wise characters to stereotypes.

The trio’s story – set at the beginning of the financial crisis – is interwoven with that and other crises facing their families, community, country and the wider world: industrial farming and its relationship to environmental collapse, inequalities of wealth and culture, and the human capacity to sleepwalk towards disaster. If these themes sound like heavy weather, they are always balanced by Erdrich’s playfulness as a writer. Her humour, and her belief in her characters’ capacity for selflessness, creative rebellion, and love tip the balance towards hope.

For fans of Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, and Jonathan Franzen.

You can listen to Renata’s Review from RDU below: