Recent Reading: Where They Last Saw Her

[rocky41_7]

My latest commute audiobook was Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon, a book about a woman on an Ojibwe reservation in Northern Minnesota who hears a woman scream while out for a run in the woods, and everything that happens after that. 

 

The main focus of this book is the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW), so it necessarily deals with some very dark subject matter, but I felt that the book always handled it respectfully and with empathy. The protagonist, Quill, becomes fixated on solving the mystery of the scream in the woods, and in the process becomes wrapped up in the greater issue of trafficking of Native American and First Nations women. 

 

The writing itself is very simplistic. I think this book falls prey to the sort of "I went to the fridge. I took out the jam. I set it on the counter. I picked up a spoon." type of writing which is very detailed without being remotely poetic. I think it could have used some sprucing up to make it more engaging and with better flow.

 

However, I did feel that Rendon captures very realistic emotion in her characters. From Quill's frustration with the seeming lack of action on the issue of MMIW to her growing obsession with providing closure herself to her anxieties for her community, all of her responses to the situation felt believable, if not wise.

Some reviews on StoryGraph have expressed frustration with Quill's willingness to charge into danger and aversion to relying on law enforcement, but I found her actions believable. Were they good decisions? Hell no—Quill does some things that are outright foolish, but at the same time, her desperation and anger make those actions unsurprising, and much of her criticism of institutions makes sense within the structure of her experience. And when you look at Quill's actions as the concern for her overall community that they are, her fixation becomes as much about trying to create a safe environment for her friends and family as about a personal commitment to this one missing woman.

 

I was also engaged by the dynamic between Quill and her family. Moms don't usually get to be the hero. Moms are there to give advice and fret. If anything, dad gets to be the hero and mom is the nagging wife at home reminding him he needs to be careful because he has a family to think about. Rendon reverses this dynamic, and I am a bit tickled with such reversals of gender-based narrative roles. Here, it's Quill's husband Crow constantly exhorting her to be careful, to think of him, to think of the children, to stop chasing leads and seeking the resolution we're all looking for. 

 

The focus on community within the reservation and across indigenous populations in the area was also touching and grounded the novel in Quill's cultural perspective. It kept the story from ever feeling like Quill was completely on her own and gives the reader insight into a close-knit community processing generations of trauma.

 

At the same time, Quill pushes back against the "shit happens on the rez" attitude she comments on in the beginning of the novel. Quill believes in a healthier, safer future for her community and that commitment comes across strongly in her anger towards the MMIW issue and what she sees as the failure of institutions, even local ones such as the tribal police, to protect indigenous women. 

 

Overall, I found this an enjoyable thriller which also tackles a relevant and often overlooked issue. There was no part of it that was particularly earthshaking, but it was a solid read and I was watching with great interest at the crumbling of Quill's personal life as she chases her leads harder and harder. I thought the ending fit well, providing some but not complete closure, and sounding a hopeful note without glossing over the fact that MMIW is an ongoing problem with no clear solutions in sight.