The Water Lilies of Mishipeshu
Set on the edge of Lake Michigan, the novel spans 1685 to 2017. Built around the legend of a Native American river goddess, Mishipeshu, this is a series of vignettes across the centuries. The story begins with Mishipeshu longing and searching to find her sister who has fallen in love with a man and disappeared from their mythic world. The vignettes begin with a British lieutenant creating a botanical manuscript of native lore that his French/Indian woman spirits away when a Native attack burns and decimates the fort. The rescued manuscript contains drawings, notes, magical prescripts, and recipes. The key element is the water lily; life sustaining for Mishipeshu and a medicinal called nabagûck for the two-leggeds.
Each vignette is connected over time, some more so than others, to the gold-embossed leather manuscript. The key connection is a human’s need for a medicinal, nabagûck, which can be curative, though it also causes hallucinations often leading to suicide or death. Mishipeshu appears briefly at intervals, commenting on the two-leggeds and wondering where her sister could be. Meanwhile, on land some seek to preserve the native knowledge while others want profit. The evolving attitude of those who control the land versus native heritage is a key theme.
Cruise’s debut novel evidences her ability for detailed research, though her background is more in Russian than American history. There is less of the mythic river goddess and more of the history of the area than one might expect from the title. Each vignette is well-crafted. The loose nature of the compilation deprives the book of a strong narrative arc to preserve a sacred text and knowledge nearly lost. Cruise gives us an overview of the evolution of time and place, and more importantly, of attitudes towards respecting a culture. An interesting read.
