Another good read: Bone Necklace

I was recently contacted by a new author, who asked that I read her novel and provide a review. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the story very much. The historical novel, based on the last battle of the Nez Perce American Indian tribe against the US government, was well researched and very well written. It will be released in June 2022 by Brandylane Publishers, Inc.

Here’s my review of Bone Necklace, by Julia Sullivan.

Bone Necklace is set in 1877 in the northwestern United States. It details, by way of a historical novel, the last battle of the American Indian tribes against the US government. The Nez Perce tribe, led by Chief Joseph, which had lived in relative peace and tolerance with the new white settlers, had not yet conceded to be restricted to a reservation. When trouble between the two cultures erupts, the US government begins a systematic, yet clumsy war against the entire tribe.

The story is told through the eyes of two individuals on opposite sides of the war, both of whom have great reason to hate the people of the other, yet who come to find a connection and a change of heart between themselves. It is a story of corruption, heinous crime, evil, regret, sorrow, and change. There are multiple levels of meaning embedded deep within the pages of this book. More than just a meaningful historical novel, I found it to be a powerful story of repentance, change, and redemption with a useful message for life in our world today.

The author did a masterful job researching and detailing the historical setting and content of this story, even providing photographs and historical details of some of the more important characters depicted. She was able to accurately portray the cultural settings of both the whites and the Nez Perce for the time, without falling into the current “political correctness” or revisionist history rhetoric so common in our day. In reading this story, one is able to experience the mistakes and heinous crimes committed by actors on both sides. One feels frustration with the ineptitude, arrogance, and simple antipathy exhibited by officials of the US government, yet one sees also the terrible acts committed by individuals on both sides against innocents and understands the the anguish, fear, and hate the white settlers had for the Indians tribes and the tribes for the white settlers. Sullivan was able to present both sides of the war on equal and accurate terms, telling both the bad and the good. It is a heart-wrenching story of war and suffering, yet there is beauty in it as well.

Without divulging too much of the story, which one should read for him/herself, here is an excerpt from the email I sent to the author after reading the novel:

“Dear Julia,

“I sincerely thank you for giving me the privilege of reading your historical novel. I would be interested to know how you selected me as a candidate. I’m not sure I’m qualified to offer a review worthy of publication, but I will offer my impressions.

“I think you did a masterful job setting up the story. Without the terrible atrocities described in the beginning chapters, there would have been no depth of feeling in the reader for the redemption of both Jack and Running Bird. Without understanding their suffering for the death of those they cared for, there would have been no comprehension of the forces in them that drove them to commit those terrible acts. Without seeing the suffering their acts caused in others whom they loved, there would have been no understanding in the reader of the depth of their regrets and the change coming about in their hearts. The story was beautifully constructed.

“It would have been easy for you, as the author, to fall into the common trap of simply making a story about how terrible our government treated the American Indian, but you told the other side of the story as well. It is well-documented, historically, that individuals and groups of various American Indian tribes committed appalling atrocities against innocent individuals during the American movement westward, thereby fueling the fear and hate that drove much of the US government’s actions against them, although most modern authors tend to bury that fact to expose only the atrocities committed by whites and the US Government. Viewed in a truly balanced light, it is no wonder that military leaders who were recently involved in the Civil War, were aggressive, decisive, and even heartless, in their efforts to quell another enemy of the American people. Nor is it a wonder that individuals and groups of American Indians committed similar atrocities against their enemies, as they had been doing for hundreds of years past. I found this story refreshing in that regard. There was no partisanship or “political correctness” here.

“I was surprised and pleased with the way in which you portrayed the Nez Perce characters as thinking, well-spoken individuals. As a reader I am accustomed to the common, “How. Me Spotted Horse. No speakum English putty good” sort of dialogue from Indian characters. It completely shifted my thought processes, with regard to their character and motivations, to a different paradigm as I read. This allowed me a greater field of view in the story, rather than just seeing it from the white society perspective. Well done.

“Being a horseman, the Nez Perce tribe has always been of interest to me. Bone Necklace was based on historical fact, well researched and documented. I found myself deeply involved in the story. You were able to bring into focus the atrocities that were perpetrated by men on both sides of the war, exposing the underlying hate and fear that were the impetus driving further atrocities by both the white (and hence the US government) and the Nez Perce peoples. And yet, this is not just a story about a sad part of our American history. Rather, it is a story about redemption and hope for the future. It explores the varying motivations of men; what drives them to do what they do: hate, revenge, duty, love. It reveals the deepest regrets for sins committed and the heartfelt desire to undo what cannot be undone – to change the past. It is a story about men seeing themselves for what they are and seeking to find a better way forward. The bone necklace was the perfect metaphor: a dry bone from a decayed carcass becoming something beautiful and enduring.

“Excellent, beautifully written story! Congratulations.

“Thank you again for allowing me to be among the first to read your story.

Sincerely,

Tony T. Henrie”

This story is well worth reading.