The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
The novel’s setting is an isolated reservation in North Dakota. It is 1996, and the old priest, Father Damien Modeste, is writing his regular report to the Pope, something he has been doing since arriving in 1912. But this is his final entry, and it contains strange revelations not only about Father Damien, but also about the inhabitants of the reservations, particularly Sister Leopolda.
The plot centers on the arrival of Father Jude Miller, who has come to investigate the background of Sister Leopolda and to confirm her alleged miracles. As Father Miller interviews Damien, the narrative moves back and forth in time. Through Damien’s reports, the reader learns that on the reservation, people and events are not as they appear. For instance, readers discover that Father Damien is a woman. It is slowly revealed that through Damien’s unique character, dedication, and sacrifice, the natives accept and cherish her; and, so, filtered through her memory and experience, readers discover the Ojibwa’s intricate existence, both corporeal and spiritual, that otherwise they would never see.
Erdrich’s poetic prose traverses a landscape infused with both comic and tragic complexity and creates a subtle yet beautiful richness that is stunning.
