The Seed Keeper
Ratings18
Average rating4.2
A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta family’s struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most. Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father, Ray, a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants, of the stars, of the origins of the Dakhóta people. Until, one morning, Ray doesn’t return from checking his traps. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato—where the reserved, bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they’ve inherited. On a winter’s day many years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home. A widow and mother, she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband’s farm, finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company. Now, grieving, Rosalie begins to confront the past, on a search for family, identity, and a community where she can finally belong. In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron—women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss, through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools. Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors.
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A difficult start: be prepared to feel lost for the first thirty-forty pages, to flip back and reread a few times. Stick with it: it grows ever more moving and graceful. (Also a little clumsy at times, a tad heavyhanded and preachy. Again, persevere, you'll be rewarded.)The story nominally centers around Rosalie Iron Wing, an adult Dakhóta woman in present-day Minnesota, but I can't say for sure that she was the main character. Do you remember that 1982 film, [b:Koyaanisqatsi 58439784 Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance Philip Glass https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624812296l/58439784.SX50.jpg 91710952], the one with the haunting Philip Glass soundtrack? I think Koyaanisqatsi—Hopi for “life out of balance”—is the main character; everyone else, Rosalie included, is a minor (but not powerless!) player trapped in its orbit. Some aware of it and fighting for balance; others helping to tip the scales. Like in the film, the pace is slow and unrelenting. Unlike the film, the book is filled with determination, resilience, and growth.Most of you won't know the film. It's not important. What matters is that Wilson has crafted a powerful tale blending grief, strength, wisdom, and hope. Exquisitely written, filled with breathtaking sentences. I can't quite justify five stars, and I'm deeply sorry for that, but please consider adding this to your must-read list.[ Let's see if Goodreads allows me to link to the film: https://watchdocumentaries.com/koyaanisqatsi/ ]
The Seed Keeper is one of those stories that hits you hard, then sticks with you long after you've read it. It was haunting and heartbreaking and beautiful and hopeful and it just swept me away.
Rosalie's story is interwoven with her ancestors' stories, and they were all just as compelling as hers. I fell into them so naturally – there was no awkwardness in switching stories. Every story was immersive and told with the same passion. I couldn't help wanting to read more of every storyline.
This book is easily headed to my all-time favorites shelf. 5 stars.
Read my full review here: https://literaryquicksand.com/2021/12/review-the-seed-keeper-by-diane-wilson/
The best book I've read all year, maybe the last 5 years. I don't have words beyond that.
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Books written by authors who identify as First Nations, Alaskan Native, Native American, Indígena, First Peoples, Aboriginal, and other Indigenous peoples of North and South America.
