The Night Watchman

May 2021 RS book group

I didn't go to book group because I have another thing scheduled that night every month, but I think this would have been a good discussion.

I really liked this book- everything winds around itself and comes together. It is still, sadly accurate, with regards to the abuse and deaths of native women in North America. And also pretty accurate about the Mormon missionaries and their colonialist attitudes and erasure of native traditions and people (if those missionaries' attitudes made you sick, you're rightly so). I think the only thing that seemed anachronistic with regards to Mormonism was the reference to the stones in the hat that Joseph Smith used to translate the BoM. While the LDS Church is more forthright about that these days, I'm not sure it was common knowledge (and especially not to 19 year old boys) in the 1950s.

But I loved listening to this audiobook (Hoopla) and although it was long, I enjoyed every phrase. A joy to listen to, despite tackling difficult stuff like trafficking. Every character felt true.