The Long-Shining Waters

February 28, 2011
Lake Superior proves to be more than a bucolic backdrop for Sosin's debut novel. It swallows fishing nets, boats, and even men, and shapes the lives of three women from different eras: Grey Rabbit, an Ojibwe woman following seasonal routes with her family in 1622 and struggling to feed her children; Berit Kleiven, who lives in a lonely cove with her husband, Gunnar, in 1902; and Nora Truneau, a Duluth bar owner who explores the lake in 2000 after a crisis. Grey Rabbit is troubled by dreams of her youngest son. After a harsh winter, even a full belly in the spring can't assuage her fears, and the arrival of goods from white civilization—the first her tribe has seen—feels ominous. Almost three centuries later, Berit and Gunnar enjoy a sexual reawakening after a miscarriage, and 100 years after that, the fire that destroys Nora's bar sends her to Superior's shores for solace. Like Grey Rabbit, she too is haunted by dreams and hopes that her journey will give her direction. Sosin writes sensuously detailed prose and distills the emotions of her characters into a profound and universal need for acceptance and love.

April 15, 2011
Lake Superior, the largest of Americas inland seas, is the cold, unfathomable heart of this three-tiered story of three women living on the lake in three eras of change. In 1622, Grey Rabbit, an Ojibwe wife and mother, is beset by frightening dreams. In 1902, Berit lives in newfound bliss with her fisherman husband in an isolated cabin. In 2000, bar owner Nora revels in the camaraderie of the regulars and the rhythm of her work. Sosin circles from time frame to time frame in short, dramatic chapters, describing the fabled lake and the regions gloriously harsh weather in language that shimmers, sings, and rages like the northern lights, sun on water, birdcalls, waves, and wind. Gradually, each singularly observant and brooding woman is forced to confront storms of upheaval and loss. Sosin writes with quiet authority about how each woman copes with grief, subtly illuminating the ways human society changes over the centuries, while the lake remains the same, magnificent and terrifying. A mechanistic plot threatens but does not undermine the novels haunting ambience, emotional authenticity, and profound resonance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)