Storm Riders

by Craig Lesley

Winner of the Oregon Book Awards H.L. Davis Prize for Fiction

Storm Riders examines the conflicted love of a single father struggling to raise his adopted Native American son, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. When a small girl mysteriously drowns near a student-housing complex, the boy is implicated and the father wrestles with his own doubt, guilt, and responsibility.

Bringing to life the austere beauty of the Tlingit Alaskan village of the boy's family, as well as the highly educated pockets of the East Coast, Lesley vividly portrays a father and a son struggling to come to terms with each other and above all, with the truth. This novel, as The Chicago Tribune noted, is "a powerful tale with a strong emotional core."

Genres: Fiction, Collections

360 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

About the author

Craig Lesley is the author of 4 novels and a memoir, along with numerous other works. He has received three Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Awards, the Western Writers of America Golden Spur Award for Best Novel, and an Oregon Book Award. He has been the recipient of several national fellowships and holds a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Whitman College. Currently the Senior Writer-in-Residence at Portland State University, Craig lives with his wife and two daughters in Portland, Oregon. Both Storm Riders and The Sky Fisherman were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the writing style and thought-provoking tale that read like a memoir. Can't wait to read more of Lesley's stories.

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single father fostering a Tlingit boy with fetal alcohol syndrome. Clark and his then wife, Payette, take her abused and neglected 4 year-old cousin, Wade, into their home. When Payette leaves, Clark continues to raise Wade on his own until he runs out of options in Wade's teenage years.
Clark was born and raised in Eastern Oregon and Wade is from a Tlingit fishing village in Alaska, so most of the story takes place in the Pacific NW. There are always references to Oregon.
Engaging story from the 1970s-80s is a little bit dated, but a very good read. Characters and relationships are realistic.

[Michelle Akers-dicken · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate learning the history of the Alaskan Tlinglit tribe, I found the story to be choppy at best. At times I felt so sorry for Wade, the little boy who suffered from apparent fetal alcohol syndrome... at other times (and this was my usual feeling), I felt like screaming at Clark (Wade's foster dad) to RUN as fast and as far as his legs would take him! Unfortunately, most of the time, the story was all over the place and dull. It had potential, given the subject matter but it fell a little short of the mark.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lesley dives deep into the pain of taking on the responsibility of a child who is volatile, difficult, damaged, and dangerously unpredictable. Firmly set in the Pacific Northwest, it evokes both the landscape and the people in a powerful and unfinished story.

[Erin Boers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish this book

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

poignant, heartrending, yet hopeful.

[Sean B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I really liked River Song and Winterkill, two of Lesley's previous books. Those stories were mysterious, powerful, meaningful. They captured the feel of the world for Native Americans and, despite including mystical elements, seemed very realistic. Those stories were incredibly well done. I was hoping that Storm Riders would be as powerful as these other books, but unfortunately for me, it wasn't.
I'm just going to say that Storm Riders seems like Mr. Lesley was applying his story formula - dad trying to fix things with troubled son, poor relationship with own dad, wife leaving all the time - in a different location, with a different tribe, and trying to make that into a really good story. There were some good parts, but it wasn't inspiring enough through the depressing bits to really appeal to me. It just feels like something is missing in this work - the spark that ignites the soul, that drives all truly good stories. I certainly hope that Lesley has not lost that spark.

[Bill Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm Riders is a melancholy story about a Native Alaskan boy, Wade, who is more or less adopted by his mom's friend when they break up. He has an unknown genetic background and seems unable to cope in society. Despite that, Clark, the boy's guardian, takes him under his wing and guides him into life. It is a book about sacrifice, on the part of Clark, and an admonition to us not to judge children or adults harshly. One of the author's acknowledgments sums it up best:

"Thank you also to many dedicated classroom teachers who approach children resembling Wade with generous and cheerful spirits. "

Help out where you can. Be compassionate. Be thankful for the blessings you have received. And pray that when your turn comes to step up, you do it joyfully.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenging read, the heart of it is revealed as a young Tlingit boy returns to his home in Angoon, Alaska, when his foster father can no longer handle him. Clark Woods always wanted to be a dad so when his 1st wife's nephew, Wade, becomes orphaned Clark tries to give him a home & family. Wade is not an ordinary boy, no doctors or psychologists are able to diagnose his learning and social problems. There is much to learn about the cultural and chemical imbalances that factor in. Some parts of this book were hard to believe but no doubt true

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad Storm Riders was Chosen as a book club selection, I was not familiar with this book and would never have found it. So many emotions and education on the realities of life with a developmentally disabled child and the fact that there were also many cultural nuances made this book a very good read.

[minz · Rating 3 out of 5]

emotionally pain full. It was like having a toothache and continuing to put your tong on it. I liked this authors style and he did not disappoint. I like more of the hunting / fishing/ pacific NW books more so than a struggling school teacher struggling through life trying to do the right thing.

[Dan Petegorsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all of Craig Lesley's novels, so I'm listing this one for friends who may not be familiar with his works.

[Barbara Paulsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off pretty good and grabbed my attention, but the ending was rushed. Hate that.

[Courtney Sylvano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice inclusion of Native Alaskan life in a fictional story. The history was the most interesting part of the book.

[Susan McGonegal]

Clark Woods, foster parent of Wade, Tlingit born with fetal alcohol syndrome.