Joe Pete, Ian Mcculloch

Latitude 46 Publishing, 2023

McCulloch’s novel tells the story of an Ojibwe family, relayed via protagonist Joe Pete’s spiritual search for her father Sandy after he disappears. Her quest unleashes a river of ancestral grief as deep as the torrent that swallowed Sandy alive. Trauma is brought in contact with the solace of nature’s constancy to form a stunning work of literary fiction, immersing us in its wilderness and love. The past is interwoven with the present, as is the conflict between tradition and colonial indoctrination. I loved this book for its depth, for teaching me of the love nature holds, and for its unflinching authenticity.

—Mona Angéline, New York / Santa Cruz