This Town Sleeps (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781640092846)

A "tender, suspenseful, irresistible first novel" that explores Indigenous legend, queer relationship, and the power of landscape and lineage to shape our lives (Louise Erdrich, author of The Round House).

An unsolved murder becomes the fixation of an Indigenous American man living in far northern Minnesota as he grapples with his relationship with a closeted white man.

On an Ojibwe reservation called Languille Lake, within the small town of Geshig at the hub of the rez, two men enter into a secret romance. Marion Lafournier, a midtwenties gay Ojibwe man, begins a relationship with his former classmate Shannon, a heavily closeted white man. While Marion is far more open about his sexuality, neither is immune to the realities of the lives of gay men in small towns and closed societies.

Then one night, while roaming the dark streets of Geshig, Marion unknowingly brings to life the spirit of a dog from beneath the elementary school playground. The mysterious revenant leads him to the grave of Kayden Kelliher, an Ojibwe basketball star who was murdered at the age of seventeen and whose presence still lingers in the memories of the townsfolk. While investigating the fallen hero's death, Marion discovers family connections and an old Ojibwe legend that may be the secret to unraveling the mystery he has found himself in.

"Elegant and gritty, angry and funny . . . emotional without being sentimental."
--Tommy Orange, author of There, There

Author: Dennis E. Staples
ISBN-10: 1640092846
ISBN-13: 9781640092846
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
Language: English
Published: 03/03/2020
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.70w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 10/01/2019 pg. 62
Library Journal 02/01/2020 pg. 66
Publishers Weekly 02/03/2020
Booklist 02/15/2020 pg. 30
Shelf Awareness 03/27/2020
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2020