South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Native American culture meets vigilante justice
SouthDakota’s Rosebud Indian Reservation provides an evocative background for this compelling debut about Virgil WoundedHorse, who metes out vigilante justice as an enforcer, taking up the mantle fromthe tribal police’s limited powers and the federal government that only investigates murders on the reservation.
While Virgil has many of the traits too often employed in thrillers— he’s cynical, anti-social and has battled the bottle— David HeskaWanbliWeiden elevates“Winter Counts” with a provocative look at culture, history and bigotry. Half Lakota, half white, Virgil is most comfortable living on the reservation though he scoffs at Native American spirituality and ritual. His main connection to people is his 14-year-old nephew Nathan, who he has custody of since his sister— Nathan’s mother— was killed in a car accident three years before.
Tribal councilman Ben Short Bearwants to hire Virgil to find out who is bringing heroin into the reservation and shut down the operation anyway he can. While Ben is upset that a teenager recently overdosed, he also admits getting rid of heroinwould help his re-election. At first, Virgil isn’t interested — he’d rather take his form of justice to bullies, pedophiles and domestic abus
ers. Also, Ben is the father of Virgil’s former girlfriend, Marie Short Bear, whomhe still loves. Virgil
changes his mind when Nathan is affected. Soon, Virgil andMarie are on the road tailing the drug operation to Denver.
“Winter Counts” is elevated byWeiden’s forceful writing, affinity for complex, realistic characters and attention to cultural touchstones. The term “winter counts” refers the pictorial calendars or histories in which tribal records and events were recorded byNative Americans inNorth America— a fitting title for this novel.
Weiden, who is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu LakotaNation, delivers one of the year’s strongest debuts with “Winter Counts.”