The Death of Bernadette Lefthand

by Ron Querry

Winner of two regional book awards and overwhelming praise, this haunting first novel about the mysterious death of a young Indian dancer is a stunning portrayal of the spirit and struggles of the Southwest's native peoples.

Even today, amid the sere hills of Arizona and New Mexico, the Navajo believe witchcraft is at work. Some suspect it is the unseen force behind the brutal murder of Bernadette Lefthand, a young woman renowned on the Jicarilla Apache reservation for her beauty and graceful dancing. Others suspect Bernadette's hard-drinking husband, Anderson George, who has inexplicably disappeared. Gracie, Bernadette's teenage sister, tries to make sense of the vortex of doom in which the young couple seems to have been caught, while Bernadette's Anglo employer, Starr Stubbs, and an unnamed stranger reveal a tale of betrayal and tragedy.

In prose rich with the rhythms and colors of the desert highways, Ron Querry--a member of the Choctaw Nation--paints a vivid portrait of the lives of contemporary Native Americans. A riveting tale of passion, obsession, and destruction, The Death of Bernadette Lefthand is a compelling novel about heritage, family, and the dark magic of the twisted soul.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Native Americans

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book many years ago at the library sale shelves. I remember reading it and then taking it to a friend in the nursing home who also loved to read. We agreed it was good but a little weird. That was all I could remember of it before starting off this time around. I read it in November because I had found a copy of the author's memoir at the same sale shelves and was inspired to hunt up this one. Luckily it was at the front of one of my over-stuffed bookcases!

So what did I think of Bernadette's story this time? Still good, and not so much weird as very dark, very intense, and other-worldly in the sense of being involved with Native American beliefs, mainly from the Navajo nation.

Bernadette's sister Gracie begins the narration, and the following chapters alternate between her point of view and other characters that appear slowly, including Bernadette's husband Anderson George and his brother Tom; Starr, a white woman married to a famous country singer; and Emmett Take Horse of the battered green pickup truck.

This is an intricate story, well written and compelling. Who killed Bernadette and why? Did someone use traditional magic against her and her family for some reason? Or was it simply another case of a man losing control while drunk?

Well worth a second reading and I'm sure I will be reading it a third time Someday. Meanwhile I am going to keep my eyes open for more Querry titles.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class… I enjoyed it a lot but felt by the end of the novel one character’s narration (mostly Starr’s) was not needed. Beautiful and tragic story

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is mainly narrated by Bernadette’s sister Grace. It starts with Grace learning that Bernadette ‘got killed’. Grace along with some short narrations by Bernadette’s boss Starr tell us about Bernadette’s life. This book moves at a very slow pace and I can see some people abandoning it for that reason. It is worth reading to the end. While Grace’s narration stumbles along, the ending is very well written. From the beginning we know Bernadette ‘got killed’, but we don’t know how or why till the end. The end is gripping in its emotional detail. It’s painfully sad and brutally violent, there are no winners in this story it's a tragedy.

[Elaine Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is correct in his 'Afterword', that the audience for this novel would be a person trying to understand Navajo, Hopi and Jicarilla Apache cultures. In his pursuit of accuracy, Ron Querry spent considerable time, travel and effort to get the voices right. It is a charming, then heartbreaking story of a young Apache girl brutally murdered by a Navajo witch who sets her husband up as suspect. As a reader who has recently moved to New Mexico, this fictional account, based on an actual event, has brought me insight into the cultures around me. An excellent read that pulled me right in, made me smile, then cry.

[Aaron VanAlstine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky and surreal murder story. The story leaves the identity of the killer unresolved...or does it?

[Jim Collett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating little book provides a look into several Indian cultures in the Four Corners area. The story is told from several different points of view, the primary one being Bernadette's sister. Much of the story is seen from within the Native American world--Pueblo, Apache, Navajo--both important ceremonial events and more social gatherings. Yet, behind the entertaining events is the growing knowledge of the reader of the cause of Bernadette's death. Suffice it to say it is truly tragic and involves the witchcraft feared among the Navajos. I found it a very good read, though quite sad by the end.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. At the beginning I wondered where it was going, but gradually the author sucked me into the curious tale of why Bernadette was murdered and how. It's an Amerindian crafted story that puzzles me still and makes me cringe a little. Well worth reading not only for the story and background work that shows in the tale, but the update on how "First Peoples" are being represented these days.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a thought provoking book. Although the title tells us Bernadette dies, the book is about Bernadette's poignant life. The book is fiction, but it is totally believable. It is one of the few that I have given 5 stars.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Native American culture from this novel. It was very well written.

[Elsa Klingensmith-Parnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. I was enthralled by the entire narrative, and heartbroken at the end.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well done.

[Christine Chapdelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult story so well written. A must read.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is told by two of the characters. One is Gracie, the sister of Bernadette Lefthand...the main character. The other story teller is Starr, the employer of Bernadette. She is kind of minor character, so I found it strange that she was telling part of the story.
Bernadette is an Indian (Apache) who is a beautiful young lady and a good dancer. She becomes involved with Anderson George, a Navajo, who is handsome and loved to rodeo.
Emmett Take Horse is a friend of Bernadette and Anderson from high school. He is disfigured from an accident and doesn't have many friends. After Bernadette and Anderson are married, Emmett hangs around in the back ground a lot and appears to get Anderson involved with Indian witchcraft. Anderson has an alcohol problem that detoriates plus Anderson seems physically ill but won't see a white medical doctor. He does have a couple of healing ceremonies but these do not seem to help.
This is rather a dark, sad story.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting, but not my favorite. I found it interesting that the two main perspectives the book was written from were female, but the author was male. There was one part on there where one female character calls herself a b*tch, and although I have known many females that have called themselves that it didn't seem to be in the right context. I get hung up on small things, I know. **spoilers** I also hated the ending where justice isn't served and I didn't get any sense of satisfaction, but that's just me.

[Marcia Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book which offers some excellent views in New Mexican tribal culture and issues. An easy, quick read, that is perhaps bit "dark" for some. I read it with my book club, and many of our members are new to NM. As a result, we had an excellent discussion.

[Mum · Rating 4 out of 5]

good, spare, desolate writing.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure I liked it but I don't really remember it. Must re-read it some day.

[scherzo♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Closer to real crime genre than mystery -- loads of vivid detail about the murder, no puzzle and murderer is unpunished

[Kristin]

Exploitative, condescending, gratuitous elements

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was horribly sad but beautifully written. I wish it were part of the high school reading curriculum. Toxic masculinity ruined the party again.