Old Moccasins: And Other Stories - by Dennis Allen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A darkly funny, deeply human portrait of life, love, and survival on a northern reserve where hope and hardship walk hand in hand.

In linked tales set on the Rabbit-Skin River Indian Reserve, a remote northern community of 500, we follow Jimmy Whiskey-Jack--an unscrupulous but lovable schemer--and his cheerful sidekick, Chubby Larue, as they stumble from absurd escapades like inheriting a hearse into the heart of life on the rez. Around Jimmy orbit unforgettable figures: Auntie Gertie, the tough, tender matriarch; Father Binette, the well-meaning priest; Isaac Rat-Skin, the last medicine man; Ida Scow, the no-nonsense band manager; and Chief Truman Two-Faces, whose antics skewer colonial bureaucracy. At Effie's Café--the community's beating heart--gossip flows, love endures, and resilience reigns. Both humorous and haunting, Old Moccasins captures the spirit, struggle, and enduring strength of life on the Rabbit-Skin River Reserve.