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I've read several Louise Erdrich novels, usually with mixed results: I've loved some and hated others. I'm happy to report that LaRose is at least one that I liked. I was worried while reading it that Erdrich was building up to certain doom (as she so often does), but without spoiling anything, I will say that this book ends much less tragically than it begins, which is with the accidental death of a five-year-old boy. Most of the book focuses on two families: that of the dead boy's, the Raviches; and the family of the neighbor who accidentally killed him, the Irons. Obviously, emotions run high. Erdrich once again is a master at revealing the ins and outs of family dynamics, while weaving in events in the lives of other characters in the community, who of course are all connected.

I would have enjoyed this book more if Erdrich had stayed away from one of her classic devices, which is the magical realism aspect she insists on wedging in an otherwise more conventional story. Most of the characters in LaRose (and her other novels) are Native Americans, so Erdrich likes to give characters mystical abilities like flying out of their bodies and/or speaking to spirits of those who have passed on. These elements aren't problematic on their own, but Erdrich's depiction of them are always murky. This is partly because SHE DOESN'T USE QUOTATION MARKS FOR DIALOGUE. That's throughout the whole book, not just the magical realism sections, but it certainly doesn't help present the mystical elements in a way that is effective; I just find myself rushing through those sections so I can get to the "real action" of the novel. In LaRose, I definitely feel that Erdrich could have done away with several scenes, especially the flashbacks to the Iron family's ancestors.

Ultimately, however, I was satisfied with this novel and will continue to read Erdrich's works.