Louise Erdrich: LaRose, Part I

In Louise Erdrich's LaRose, a terrible tragedy forces two families to resort to a form of traditional "restorative justice" in which one son must be given to replace the loss of another. Erdrich talks about this act as an attempt at restoring balance in a tight knit community where healing can take generations. LaRose, the boy offered up to restore balance, she says, is the culmination of that healing – will it work and can they live it through? It is difficult to tell as shifting invisible boundaries form between the families.

Read an excerpt from LaRose.