Prudence

A haunting and unforgettable novel about love, loss, race, and desire in World War II era America. On a sweltering day in August 1942, Frankie Washburn returns to his family s rustic Minnesota resort for one last visit before he joins the war as a bombardier, headed for the darkened skies over Europe. Awaiting him at the Pines are those he s about to leave behind: his hovering mother; the distant father to whom he s been a disappointment; the Indian caretaker who s been more of a father to him than his own; and Billy, the childhood friend who over the years has become something much more intimate. But before the homecoming can be celebrated, the search for a German soldier, escaped from the POW camp across the river, explodes in a shocking act of violence, with consequences that will reverberate years into the future for all of them and that will shape how each of them makes sense of their lives. With Prudence, Treuer delivers his most ambitious and captivating novel yet. Powerful and wholly original, it s a story of desire and loss and the search for connection in a riven world; of race and class in a supposedly more innocent era. Most profoundly, it s about the secrets we choose to keep, the ones we can t help but tell, and who and how we re allowed to love."

About the Author :
David Treuer is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. The author of three previous novels and two books of nonfiction, he has also written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, Slate, and The Washington Post, among others.He has a Ph.D. in anthropology and teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California."

Review :
A Finalist for the Minnesota Book Award Praise for PRUDENCE: What does it say about our troubled times and David Treuer s considerable talents that his World War II-era novel speaks to the present moment in American history with more eloquence and complexity than the nightly newscast? Inequalities of race, class, gender and sexual orientation; the treatment of captured combatants; the Escheresque ethics of bombing civilians a world away; the culture that allows white people to shoot people of color with impunity; all this, and much more besides, resonates through Treuer s tender and devastating book [A] master class on suspense, shifting perspective and conflicting desire. Anthony Marra, The Washington Post [Prudence is] at once both blunt and hushed in tone, wielding a sledgehammer while walking on tiptoes .each new page breeds both familiarity and partly because of that familiarity the capacity to surprise By taking us one step backward for every two steps forward, Treuer doesn't just unravel the plot we might expect; he prompts us to interrogate the assumptions racial, sexual and otherwise that build up those expectations in the first place. NPR The poetics of damage permeates David Treuer s elegantly bitter fourth novel, Prudence, which unites a distinctly modern sociopolitical perspective with a more old-fashioned moral rigor about the consequences of emotional cowardice, complicity, and repression Treuer is particularly skilled in showing how a substantial lie in one area of a life can manifest as a distortion in another, apparently unrelated area Without judgment, but also without blinking, he expertly vivisects characters who can t own up to the truth about themselves, showing how the unaddressed damage only deepens over time Prudence hurts, and that hurt lingers. Very few novels take that much of a risk. The New York Times Book Review David Treuer is a literary shape-shifter true to form, his latest book, Prudence, is unlike all its predecessors: a tightly plotted hybrid fiction that combines elements of a mystery, a literary romance and a Greek tragedy. Chicago Tribune Treuer does a masterful job exploring the multiple stories that culminate in the death of a young woman in small-town Minnesota [and] proves remarkably adept at capturing the thoughts and the voices of all the people affected [Frankie's] relationship with Billy is one of the most affecting in recent fiction...Treuer realizes that the things people tend to hold dear history, heritage, themselves and one another are more complex and intricate than we sometimes realize. It's the intersections of all these things that inspire the stories behind the story in Prudence and make it one of the most honest, moving novels about America in quite a while. Los Angeles Times "So good that when you get to the end, you'll want to reread the beginning to see how the author set his magic in motion...This gorgeously restrained novel has much to say about race, class, gender, sexuality, love and war through the stories of men and women whose fates become urgently important to us. More David Treuer beautifully captures a place and an era. . . . Treuer imbues mundane moments with reverence And he masterfully weaves into the narrative minor characters who have major resonance. Seattle Times "Treuer s writing is supple, his story intricate. That it s set against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in history makes it all the more haunting and powerful." Out Compelling [and] arresting Treuer writes as an insider his Ojibwe characters are multifaceted individuals, not mere decorate ciphers. They are, moreover, engaged like everyone else in their country s broader history Although Prudence is suffused with tragedy, Treuer skilfully sustains a sense of pace and tension. In doing so, he brings to life a little-examined corner of America, and shows how it, too, was touched by war. Financial Times "Treuer writes beautifully about the dark corners of human nature, and the brief reprieves that come in even the most unhappy lives. He can t (or won t) give these unlucky souls many second chances, but he does make them come alive on the page." Entertainment Weekly The relationships in [Prudence] are deep and complex The language is etched with poetry, the emotions deeply felt In a tidy space [Treuer] shows us life in the gorgeous Pines landscape, a community of Indians and how they survive, the fate of a crippled Indian woman, the trials of a German man and a Jewish man, the soldiering of World War II, and the strange tricks and secrets of the heart. Pittsburgh Post Gazette In Prudence, natural-born storyteller David Treuer spins a vivid, sorrowful tale [A] master craftsman of evocative scenes Prudence is evidence that Treuer s literary powers continue to grow. He knows people and goes to places foreign to most American writers, and his stories deeply honor the unremembered, to whom he dedicates this book. Minneapolis Star Tribune In succinct, finely tuned prose, Treuer reveal[s] [an] intimacy [that] in this time and place is truly a love that dare not speak its name. Treuer depicts its growth realistically and tenderly. Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel [In] Prudence, the characters transcend history Treuer s novel captures in [a] careful, lustrous narrative, a time in which passion was restrained in public yet extravagantly expressed in writing. He not only sets his book in the early 20th century, he channels authors of that era the writers he sees as his stylistic cousins. MinnPost "So intricately plotted, so filled with strong characters, it should win major awards. St. Paul Pioneer Press At its core, [Prudence] is a tale of unrequited love and random violence [yet] in Treuer s skillful, multi-vocal telling, neither love nor death appears sensational or simple Both Native and non-Native people suffer and yearn, and the craft of the novel lies in the ways it enables the reader to traverse the social and emotional distances the characters themselves are unable to. Public Books Prudence is an intricate ensemble piece; exploring themes of loss, desire, race, war, and the secrets we keep, through the point of view of five beautifully realized characters In clear, uncluttered prose, Treuer guides us through 10 years [and] multiple voices gorgeous. Portland Oregonian Treuer creates remarkable depth of emotion with language that is spare, descriptive, and poignant Sexuality and race are primary, but these large issues are made very particular when they are embodied by visceral characters such as Frankie, Billy, Felix, and Prudence. It's no secret that love is complicated, but rarely have its complications been explored so hauntingly. This is a novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. everydayebook.com David Treuer's experience writing about Native American history and culture is apparent in this analysis of race and memory. Huffington Post Acutely emotional mesmerizing [and] beautifully told BookPage Magnetizing and richly original [with] extraordinarily affecting characters Treuer s trenchant and compassionate novel glimmers with nature s potent beauty, fresh historical detail, and scrupulous insight. Booklist (starred review) Achingly moving speaks volumes about integrity, culpability, and resilience in the face of collective tragedy. Publisher s Weekly A self-assured, absorbing story [that] explores the darkness at our cores Kirkus Reviews Thoughtful and engaging a well-told tale with realistically portrayed characters [and] a voice that is low key but forceful [and] elevate[s] this story to a powerful level. Library Journal "David Treuer's novel Prudence is a wondrous and mesmerizing narrative--intricate, seductive and wholly gratifying." Toni Morrison "This is a beautiful, somber, unlikely love story, as pure as the Minnesota landscape against which it is tragically played out." Edmund White A haunting, brilliant, richly layered novel of intersecting and interlocking destinies a novel that reminds us just how complicated American history really is, whether played out in the halls of Princeton, the battlefields of Europe, or the creeks and lakes of Ojibwe land. I can't recommend it highly enough." Jess Row "Prudence is an excellent, page-turning mystery, and at the same time delves deeply into characters whose lives are rarely portrayed in our literature. David Treuer is a truly original and necessary voice in American fiction." Dan Chaon What a magnificent, heartbreaking, important novel. Prudence is beautifully orchestrated in its movement through time, with tenderly wrought characters, startling collisions, and a spellbinding spiral of disclosures. Joanna Scott With language that is tender yet masculine, charged but unsentimental, David Treuer has imagined a truly American story and landscape. It is full of questions about identity, loyalty and place. I was taken and remain taken by this novel. Percival Everett Praise for REZ LIFE: [Treuer s] upbringing on an Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota makes him adept at delving behind stereotypes of Indian life and infuses his account with passion and meticulousness. The New Yorker Blends memoir and history to reveal what life on a reservation is really like - neither the festival of dysfunction nor the oasis of noble, nature-loving stoics that many non-Indians imagine. [A] blistering, illuminating, ultimately hopeful book. Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe An affecting portrait of his childhood home, Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and his people, the Ojibwe. The New York Times "An invaluable study and vivid account of problematic life on our reservations by a writer--a very good writer!--raised 'on the rez' who knows what he's talking about only too well and also knows how to tell a story, lots of stories, that document and effectively banish a number of misconceptions still held by white society. Highly recommended." Peter Matthiessen Applied to a book, the word important can glaze the eyes. An important book sounds like an earnest, educational one you should read, when you get to it, someday, maybe. Rez Life is important in the word's best sense -- one you'll want to read if you're at all curious about contemporary American Indians. It's important in the way Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was when it came out in 1970, deeply moving readers as it schooled them about Indian history in a way nothing else had. Pamela Miller, Minneapolis Star-Tribune Treuer sees all the poverty, the gangs and the alcohol, but he also sees great beauty in some of the last places untouched by commercial development. He hears the stories of his people in the language of his people, and he sees the pride of survivors. Neal Conan, NPR Praise for THE TRANSLATION OF DR. APELLES: "Deeply crafty, shape-shifting. . . . [Treuer] seems to want to do for Native American culture and literature what James Joyce did for the Irish: haul it into the mainstream of Western culture through sheer nerve and verve." The Washington Post "The Translation of Dr Apelles . . . provides new layers of information and meaning with every pass. This Escher-esque craftsmanship dazzles." The Seattle Times David Treuer is mounting a challenge to the whole idea of Indian identity as depicted by both Native and white writers." The New York Times Praise for THE HIAWATHA: "Treuer is truly an original voice." The San Francisco Chronicle Praise for LITTLE: "Mr. Treuer's accomplishment is a wonder. Out of the seasons and landscapes of a Minnesota reservation David Treuer has forged a strong intricate narrative complete with the intimate voices of fully realized characters." Toni Morrison " A Finalist for the Minnesota Book Award Praise for PRUDENCE: What does it say about our troubled times and David Treuer s considerable talents that his World War II-era novel speaks to the present moment in American history with more eloquence and complexity than the nightly newscast? Inequalities of race, class, gender and sexual orientation; the treatment of captured combatants; the Escheresque ethics of bombing civilians a world away; the culture that allows white people to shoot people of color with impunity; all this, and much more besides, resonates through Treuer s tender and devastating book [A] master class on suspense, shifting perspective and conflicting desire. Anthony Marra, "The Washington Post" ["Prudence" is] at once both blunt and hushed in tone, wielding a sledgehammer while walking on tiptoes .each new page breeds both familiarity and partly because of that familiarity the capacity to surprise By taking us one step backward for every two steps forward, Treuer doesn't just unravel the plot we might expect; he prompts us to interrogate the assumptions racial, sexual and otherwise that build up those expectations in the first place. NPR The poetics of damage permeates David Treuer s elegantly bitter fourth novel, "Prudence," which unites a distinctly modern sociopolitical perspective with a more old-fashioned moral rigor about the consequences of emotional cowardice, complicity, and repression Treuer is particularly skilled in showing how a substantial lie in one area of a life can manifest as a distortion in another, apparently unrelated area Without judgment, but also without blinking, he expertly vivisects characters who can t own up to the truth about themselves, showing how the unaddressed damage only deepens over time "Prudence" hurts, and that hurt lingers. Very few novels take that much of a risk. "The New York Times Book Review" David Treuer is a literary shape-shifter true to form, his latest book, "Prudence," is unlike all its predecessors: a tightly plotted hybrid fiction that combines elements of a mystery, a literary romance and a Greek tragedy. "Chicago Tribune " Treuer does a masterful job exploring the multiple stories that culminate in the death of a young woman in small-town Minnesota [and] proves remarkably adept at capturing the thoughts and the voices of all the people affected [Frankie's] relationship with Billy is one of the most affecting in recent fiction...Treuer realizes that the things people tend to hold dear history, heritage, themselves and one another are more complex and intricate than we sometimes realize. It's the intersections of all these things that inspire the stories behind the story in "Prudence" and make it one of the most honest, moving novels about America in quite a while. "Los Angeles Times" "So good that when you get to the end, you'll want to reread the beginning to see how the author set his magic in motion...This gorgeously restrained novel has much to say about race, class, gender, sexuality, love and war through the stories of men and women whose fates become urgently important to us. "More " David Treuer beautifully captures a place and an era. . . . Treuer imbues mundane moments with reverence And he masterfully weaves into the narrative minor characters who have major resonance. "Seattle Times ""Treuer s writing is supple, his story intricate. That it s set against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in history makes it all the more haunting and powerful." "Out" Compelling [and] arresting Treuer writes as an insider his Ojibwe characters are multifaceted individuals, not mere decorate ciphers. They are, moreover, engaged like everyone else in their country s broader history Although "Prudence" is suffused with tragedy, Treuer skilfully sustains a sense of pace and tension. In doing so, he brings to life a little-examined corner of America, and shows how it, too, was touched by war. " Financial Times" "Treuer writes beautifully about the dark corners of human nature, and the brief reprieves that come in even the most unhappy lives. He can t (or won t) give these unlucky souls many second chances, but he does make them come alive on the page." "Entertainment Weekly" The relationships in ["Prudence"] are deep and complex The language is etched with poetry, the emotions deeply felt In a tidy space [Treuer] shows us life in the gorgeous Pines landscape, a community of Indians and how they survive, the fate of a crippled Indian woman, the trials of a German man and a Jewish man, the soldiering of World War II, and the strange tricks and secrets of the heart. "Pittsburgh Post Gazette" In "Prudence," natural-born storyteller David Treuer spins a vivid, sorrowful tale [A] master craftsman of evocative scenes "Prudence" is evidence that Treuer s literary powers continue to grow. He knows people and goes to places foreign to most American writers, and his stories deeply honor the unremembered, to whom he dedicates this book. "Minneapolis Star Tribune " In succinct, finely tuned prose, Treuer reveal[s] [an] intimacy [that] in this time and place is truly a love that dare not speak its name. Treuer depicts its growth realistically and tenderly. "Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel "[In] "Prudence," the characters transcend history Treuer s novel captures in [a] careful, lustrous narrative, a time in which passion was restrained in public yet extravagantly expressed in writing. He not only sets his book in the early 20th century, he channels authors of that era the writers he sees as his stylistic cousins. "MinnPost" "So intricately plotted, so filled with strong characters, it should win major awards. "St. Paul Pioneer Press " At its core, ["Prudence"] is a tale of unrequited love and random violence [yet] in Treuer s skillful, multi-vocal telling, neither love nor death appears sensational or simple Both Native and non-Native people suffer and yearn, and the craft of the novel lies in the ways it enables the reader to traverse the social and emotional distances the characters themselves are unable to. "Public Books" "Prudence" is an intricate ensemble piece; exploring themes of loss, desire, race, war, and the secrets we keep, through the point of view of five beautifully realized characters In clear, uncluttered prose, Treuer guides us through 10 years [and] multiple voices gorgeous. "Portland Oregonian " Treuer creates remarkable depth of emotion with language that is spare, descriptive, and poignant Sexuality and race are primary, but these large issues are made very particular when they are embodied by visceral characters such as Frankie, Billy, Felix, and Prudence. It's no secret that love is complicated, but rarely have its complications been explored so hauntingly. This is a novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. everydayebook.com David Treuer's experience writing about Native American history and culture is apparent in this analysis of race and memory. "Huffington Post" Acutely emotional mesmerizing [and] beautifully told "BookPage" Magnetizing and richly original [with] extraordinarily affecting characters Treuer s trenchant and compassionate novel glimmers with nature s potent beauty, fresh historical detail, and scrupulous insight. "Booklist "(starred review) Achingly moving speaks volumes about integrity, culpability, and resilience in the face of collective tragedy. "Publisher s Weekly" A self-assured, absorbing story [that] explores the darkness at our cores "Kirkus Reviews" Thoughtful and engaging a well-told tale with realistically portrayed characters [and] a voice that is low key but forceful [and] elevate[s] this story to a powerful level. "Library Journal" "David Treuer's novel "Prudence "is a wondrous and mesmerizing narrative--intricate, seductive and wholly gratifying." Toni Morrison "This is a beautiful, somber, unlikely love story, as pure as the Minnesota landscape against which it is tragically played out." Edmund White A haunting, brilliant, richly layered novel of intersecting and interlocking destinies a novel that reminds us just how complicated American history really is, whether played out in the halls of Princeton, the battlefields of Europe, or the creeks and lakes of Ojibwe land. I can't recommend it highly enough." Jess Row ""Prudence" is an excellent, page-turning mystery, and at the same time delves deeply into characters whose lives are rarely portrayed in our literature. David Treuer is a truly original and necessary voice in American fiction." Dan Chaon What a magnificent, heartbreaking, important novel. "Prudence "is beautifully orchestrated in its movement through time, with tenderly wrought characters, startling collisions, and a spellbinding spiral of disclosures. Joanna Scott With language that is tender yet masculine, charged but unsentimental, David Treuer has imagined a truly American story and landscape. It is full of questions about identity, loyalty and place. I was taken and remain taken by this novel. Percival Everett Praise for REZ LIFE: [Treuer s] upbringing on an Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota makes him adept at delving behind stereotypes of Indian life and infuses his account with passion and meticulousness. "The New Yorker" Blends memoir and history to reveal what life on a reservation is really like - neither the festival of dysfunction nor the oasis of noble, nature-loving stoics that many non-Indians imagine. [A] blistering, illuminating, ultimately hopeful book. Kate Tuttle, "Boston Globe" An affecting portrait of his childhood home, Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and his people, the Ojibwe. "The New York Times" "An invaluable study and vivid account of problematic life on our reservations by a writer--a very good writer!--raised 'on the rez' who knows what he's talking about only too well and also knows how to tell a story, lots of stories, that document and effectively banish a number of misconceptions still held by white society. Highly recommended." Peter Matthiessen Applied to a book, the word important can glaze the eyes. An important book sounds like an earnest, educational one you should read, when you get to it, someday, maybe. Rez Life is important in the word's best sense -- one you'll want to read if you're at all curious about contemporary American Indians. It's important in the way Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee was when it came out in 1970, deeply moving readers as it schooled them about Indian history in a way nothing else had. Pamela Miller, "Minneapolis Star-Tribune" Treuer sees all the poverty, the gangs and the alcohol, but he also sees great beauty in some of the last places untouched by commercial development. He hears the stories of his people in the language of his people, and he sees the pride of survivors. Neal Conan, NPR Praise for THE TRANSLATION OF DR. APELLES: "Deeply crafty, shape-shifting. . . . [Treuer] seems to want to do for Native American culture and literature what James Joyce did for the Irish: haul it into the mainstream of Western culture through sheer nerve and verve." "The Washington Post" "The Translation of Dr Apelles . . . provides new layers of information and meaning with every pass. This Escher-esque craftsmanship dazzles." "The Seattle Times" David Treuer is mounting a challenge to the whole idea of Indian identity as depicted by both Native and white writers." "The New York Times" Praise for THE HIAWATHA: "Treuer is truly an original voice." "The San Francisco Chronicle" Praise for LITTLE: "Mr. Treuer's accomplishment is a wonder. Out of the seasons and landscapes of a Minnesota reservation David Treuer has forged a strong intricate narrative complete with the intimate voices of fully realized characters." Toni Morrison"