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The Red Canoe
Buck, government name Michael Fineday, Ojibwe name Miskwa' doden (Red Deer) is on the brink of suicide. He has just been served divorce papers by his wife Naomi, who is fed up with his savior complex and the danger it often attracts to their door. Living on the border of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community reservation, Buck makes a living as a boatbuilder and carpenter. He spends his days alone, trying to win the trust of a feral cat...until a semi-feral girl shows up, fascinated by the canoe Buck is building.
Lucy, Ojibwe name Gage' bineh, (Everlasting Bird), lives in a trailer alone with her father, a local policeman struggling with PTSD which is compounded by the loss of Lucy's mother. Just barely fifteen she has lived with a lifetime of abuse, while knowing that if she ever spoke out, her father would bear the consequences.
Buck senses Lucy is in trouble and doesn't hesitate to come to her defense. On the foundation of their shared Ojibwe heritage, they trace Lucy's abuse to a ring that extends farther than either of them ever imagined, while building a bond even sturdier than Buck's canoe.
Lucy, Ojibwe name Gage' bineh, (Everlasting Bird), lives in a trailer alone with her father, a local policeman struggling with PTSD which is compounded by the loss of Lucy's mother. Just barely fifteen she has lived with a lifetime of abuse, while knowing that if she ever spoke out, her father would bear the consequences.
Buck senses Lucy is in trouble and doesn't hesitate to come to her defense. On the foundation of their shared Ojibwe heritage, they trace Lucy's abuse to a ring that extends farther than either of them ever imagined, while building a bond even sturdier than Buck's canoe.
352 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2022
30 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Johnson
83 books12 followersWayne Johnson is the author of five critically-acclaimed novels: The Snake Game (Knopf), Don’t Think Twice (Crown/Harmony), Six Crooked Highways (Crown/Harmony), and The Devil You Know (Shaye Areheart Books). Under the pseudonym Albertine Strong, Johnson published Deluge (Crown/Harmony).
Among Johnson’s public accolades have been a listing as a London Times bestseller for The Snake Game; three Pulitzer nominations (for Deluge, Don’t Think Twice, and The Devil You Know); New York Times Notable Book citations (for Deluge and Don’t Think Twice); inclusion in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Series (for Deluge); recognition as a Minnesota Book Award Finalist (for Six Crooked Highways); recognition as a Great Lakes Book Association Finalist (for Deluge); and a Kansas City Star Book of the Year citation (for Six Crooked Highways).
Johnson has garnered excellent reviews (in addition to those from NYT) from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, ALA, Booklist, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, and other journals. He has been a Chesterfield Writers’ Film Project Fellow in Hollywood and has received recognition from the Sundance Film Festival for his screenplays.
His first non-fiction title, White Heat: the Extreme Skiing Life, was published by Atria in December 2007 and sold 10,000 copies in the first month. The paperback edition of White Heat was released in 2008, and the book has recently come out with Simon & Schuster UK and Pocket Books. Live to Ride, a non-fiction work on motorcycles, was published in hardback by Simon & Schuster, June 2010, and in paperback 2011 to broad critical acclaim.
In 2013, Wayne's memoir, Baseball Diaries: Confessions of a Cold War Youth, was published by Submarine Publishing in paperback and as a Kindle title, where it enjoys a 5-star rating on Amazon.com.
Of mixed Native and European descent, Johnson grew up on the south side of Minneapolis, and in the north lakes region of Minnesota on the White Earth and Red Lake Reservations. Johnson studied microbiology at the University of Minnesota before discovering the pleasures of hang gliding near Bozeman, Montana, where he finished his undergraduate degrees in English and Philosophy. A Teaching-Writing Fellow of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, Johnson lives and skis in Utah, where he does emergency outdoor medical rescue for the Park City Ski Patrol. He is a long-time faculty member of the Iowa Summer Writing Festival in Iowa City.
Among Johnson’s public accolades have been a listing as a London Times bestseller for The Snake Game; three Pulitzer nominations (for Deluge, Don’t Think Twice, and The Devil You Know); New York Times Notable Book citations (for Deluge and Don’t Think Twice); inclusion in the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Series (for Deluge); recognition as a Minnesota Book Award Finalist (for Six Crooked Highways); recognition as a Great Lakes Book Association Finalist (for Deluge); and a Kansas City Star Book of the Year citation (for Six Crooked Highways).
Johnson has garnered excellent reviews (in addition to those from NYT) from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, ALA, Booklist, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, and other journals. He has been a Chesterfield Writers’ Film Project Fellow in Hollywood and has received recognition from the Sundance Film Festival for his screenplays.
His first non-fiction title, White Heat: the Extreme Skiing Life, was published by Atria in December 2007 and sold 10,000 copies in the first month. The paperback edition of White Heat was released in 2008, and the book has recently come out with Simon & Schuster UK and Pocket Books. Live to Ride, a non-fiction work on motorcycles, was published in hardback by Simon & Schuster, June 2010, and in paperback 2011 to broad critical acclaim.
In 2013, Wayne's memoir, Baseball Diaries: Confessions of a Cold War Youth, was published by Submarine Publishing in paperback and as a Kindle title, where it enjoys a 5-star rating on Amazon.com.
Of mixed Native and European descent, Johnson grew up on the south side of Minneapolis, and in the north lakes region of Minnesota on the White Earth and Red Lake Reservations. Johnson studied microbiology at the University of Minnesota before discovering the pleasures of hang gliding near Bozeman, Montana, where he finished his undergraduate degrees in English and Philosophy. A Teaching-Writing Fellow of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, Johnson lives and skis in Utah, where he does emergency outdoor medical rescue for the Park City Ski Patrol. He is a long-time faculty member of the Iowa Summer Writing Festival in Iowa City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 3, 2022
Not only is The Red Canoe a gritty, compelling thriller, one that draws the reader in immediately and masterfully ratchets up tension with each chapter... it's a literary creation too, elegantly written by an author who has had multiple Pulitzer Prize nominations and brings a true finesse to story telling.
So, a literary thriller. You don't see those every day. You also probably don't often read books featuring Native American protagonists. This book (the first of what I hope will be a long series) introduces us to Buck Fineday, an Ojibwe man with a big heart who has a tendency to get caught up in dangerous predicaments. The day Lucy, a teenager who has seen more darkness in her fifteen years than most do in a lifetime, shows up in his garage, marks the beginning of a journey of do-or-die vengeance.
I particularly loved scenes that highlight the Indigenous culture, giving voice to ancient language and spirit. I also loved being surprised by wily turns of plot and character - Mrs. Chen in particular is a delight, and I hope she reappears in books to come.
Wayne Johnson has crafted this novel with the same care and precision needed to build a canoe. With each precise dip of his paddle in the freezing Minnesota lake waters, he expertly guides us further into this intriguing, perilous, and ultimately rewarding story.
So, a literary thriller. You don't see those every day. You also probably don't often read books featuring Native American protagonists. This book (the first of what I hope will be a long series) introduces us to Buck Fineday, an Ojibwe man with a big heart who has a tendency to get caught up in dangerous predicaments. The day Lucy, a teenager who has seen more darkness in her fifteen years than most do in a lifetime, shows up in his garage, marks the beginning of a journey of do-or-die vengeance.
I particularly loved scenes that highlight the Indigenous culture, giving voice to ancient language and spirit. I also loved being surprised by wily turns of plot and character - Mrs. Chen in particular is a delight, and I hope she reappears in books to come.
Wayne Johnson has crafted this novel with the same care and precision needed to build a canoe. With each precise dip of his paddle in the freezing Minnesota lake waters, he expertly guides us further into this intriguing, perilous, and ultimately rewarding story.
August 6, 2022
It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, child endangerment, violence, parental neglect, sexual abuse, psychological distress, racially motivated crime, & others.
Lucy is on the cusp of her fifteenth (15) birthday & has just been violently raped by a person she grew up calling ‘uncle’; a friend & co-worker of her father’s, a member of the local police force & a man who, we come to find out, is one of many men to benefit from the ring of horrendous abuse inflicted on the underprivileged youth in the town.
I want to make something excruciatingly clear off the cuff; violence against children is terrifying, horrendous & monstrous. None of what I will be saying in my review seeks to state the opposite. However, if you are embarking on this read as a seasoned thriller or horror genre reader you might find that this book is a case wherein horrible things are told to the reader without adequate situational build-up. By that I mean that everyone on earth knows that child abuse is horrific, we do not need detailed scenes to play out for us to understand that. What a book should seek to do is render the reader part of the environment in which horrible things take place, specifically when dealing with the Thriller or Horror genre. It is not enough to list scary things, one needs to make the reader aware of the psychological & physical distress that the character is experiencing.
That being said, this book was terribly difficult for me to read. I do not seek out stories that list horrific acts against children because I find it brutal to work my way through fictional works that deal with the monstrous reality that very real children deal with, every day. I do acknowledge that stories that involve actual facts within the fictional plot are in fact important, however, I found this story particularly difficult to work through as there is little girth to the plot itself without the repeated listing of acts of abuse. Due to this fact, the story felt interminably long. Though I appreciate that this book is not one that sees the characters in high-speed chases along strips of the highway; there wasn’t any specific turn of events that encouraged me to want to read on. Nothing transpires throughout which might not already have been posed as a probability earlier on.
When asked to believe that no one in an entire town would suspect the Catholic church of having some form of involvement in the abuse of children I was a bit shocked. I would like to highlight that I am in no way shaming anyone who partakes in religions or this one in particular. However, most people in North America have heard at least one story in which the Catholic church was privy to situations of child abuse (I shall put this as politically correct as I can without seeking to offend).
The next point I want to raise is that of character depth & authenticity. This book has two groups of characters, the young (aged between 14–17) & the adults (ages unknown but presumed to be around 35–50). I found it difficult to distinguish between both Buck & Lucy in terms of distinct voices during their point of view.
I found the development of Lucy’s character a bit bizarre. Lucy knows that she cannot identify all her assailants, she knows that many men are involved in her abuse, & she knows that some of the men that she can identify are in the police force yet, as the story progresses she goes out of her way to put herself & everyone involved, in horrible danger. I could not help but feel utterly annoyed with her character by the end of the story. You are a child & though your lived experiences have involved you in the perils of horrible adult people in your life, you are not equipped to manoeuvre your way through the adult circles that keep these predators safe.
To have Buck repeatedly ask her not to step out of line, only for her to do so, bringing no advancement to the story, was ghastly. Why did she constantly have to put everyone in danger? What good did her actions ever bring? Was she suddenly filled with bravery because she felt that no harm could befall her due to Buck? Where was the development of her character to be the person who carried around a gun & wanted to shoot a police officer in the middle of the station? We go from reading about her suicidal ideations to her desire for murder in such a short period of time that I would have hoped for more details to be given to her transition; perhaps more details as she went from feeling helpless to hopeful.
I also found Lucy to be a difficult character to appreciate because of the way she treats everyone around her. These secondary characters are the epitome of tropes. Booker, the Black character, has a history of violence, his parents are divorced, he doesn’t see his dad, he speaks in broken slang even though we are told he is ‘traditionally’ smart. Not to say that African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is not ‘real’ communicating, more so that his character feels trapped between speaking in AAVE & then, not, for the sole purpose of tormenting Ryan. Speaking of which, Ryan, the East Asian character, is described as overtly ‘nerdy’, very scholastically inclined & also a character that has Asperger’s. After researching a bit more about this condition I came across an article that stated that Asperger’s was no longer included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as of 2013 upon its fifth publication. I can assume (with uncertainty) that this term was kept in this book as many of the terms used by the characters are beyond dated & often employed to shame & torment another.
This means that the utilization of racial slurs was very high within this text as well as terminology which socially has become encouraged to fall into disuse. I appreciate that the characters in this book are struggling to find their way in a world that has very clearly told them that it doesn’t care about their well-being but, I don’t know that we needed to read about the utilization of the R-word when Ryan was in a scene as a way to reinforce the abuse he was subjected to because his friends assumed his mental diagnostic. As well, there is a scene in this book wherein Lucy says that Ryan was ‘putting on an act’ & I don’t understand what that means because,..why would he do that? Also, later in the book Ryan maintains his behavioural tendencies even though Lucy stated them to be untrue. Is this person on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or are they not?
I also wanted to learn more about characters who had lives that were hinted at but never fully explored. Why was Kitty so adept at brandishing weapons, without hesitation? Why did they move to the United States? Why was Ryan so good at hacking (military-grade websites mind you)? What happened to Buck that made him have an m.249 Machine Gun? What happened with Seraphim? How did he meet Naomi? Was this person a hit-man in his past life or was he a vigilante? Why was Lee (Lucy’s dad) so oblivious to everything? This man was in active combat with everyone involved in the child abuse ring, you’re telling me he had no clue that all his ‘buddies’ were predators?
Who is this story for? Which audience would most benefit from reading such a story? A story in which the sole reason behind the protagonist’s success is pure & utter luck. I mean, Lee had a snipper shot to the Chaplain but left it to go talk to him face-to-face? You’re telling me the person who had anger issues to boot, simply put away his gun to wander down a hill to speak with the person leading the physical abuse line-up against his daughter?
I will give credit where it is due however & state that I enjoyed the writing style. Johnson was able to employ a distance within the dialogue of his characters; a rift between who they were & who their trauma altered them to become. We were clearly able to see their struggle to maintain composure throughout the book which leads me to say that, I would read other books from the author in the future.
When all is said & done, I know that many people might appreciate this story for what it was at face value. Unfortunately, this was not a book that I found myself eager to read after the first couple of chapters made it apparent what we would be reading about. I am not the target audience by any means & therefore found it difficult to appreciate the race through the woods, the car crashes, the canoe & Buck & Lucy too.
Thank you to NetGalley, Polis Books, Agora Books, & Wayne Johnson for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Lucy is on the cusp of her fifteenth (15) birthday & has just been violently raped by a person she grew up calling ‘uncle’; a friend & co-worker of her father’s, a member of the local police force & a man who, we come to find out, is one of many men to benefit from the ring of horrendous abuse inflicted on the underprivileged youth in the town.
I want to make something excruciatingly clear off the cuff; violence against children is terrifying, horrendous & monstrous. None of what I will be saying in my review seeks to state the opposite. However, if you are embarking on this read as a seasoned thriller or horror genre reader you might find that this book is a case wherein horrible things are told to the reader without adequate situational build-up. By that I mean that everyone on earth knows that child abuse is horrific, we do not need detailed scenes to play out for us to understand that. What a book should seek to do is render the reader part of the environment in which horrible things take place, specifically when dealing with the Thriller or Horror genre. It is not enough to list scary things, one needs to make the reader aware of the psychological & physical distress that the character is experiencing.
That being said, this book was terribly difficult for me to read. I do not seek out stories that list horrific acts against children because I find it brutal to work my way through fictional works that deal with the monstrous reality that very real children deal with, every day. I do acknowledge that stories that involve actual facts within the fictional plot are in fact important, however, I found this story particularly difficult to work through as there is little girth to the plot itself without the repeated listing of acts of abuse. Due to this fact, the story felt interminably long. Though I appreciate that this book is not one that sees the characters in high-speed chases along strips of the highway; there wasn’t any specific turn of events that encouraged me to want to read on. Nothing transpires throughout which might not already have been posed as a probability earlier on.
When asked to believe that no one in an entire town would suspect the Catholic church of having some form of involvement in the abuse of children I was a bit shocked. I would like to highlight that I am in no way shaming anyone who partakes in religions or this one in particular. However, most people in North America have heard at least one story in which the Catholic church was privy to situations of child abuse (I shall put this as politically correct as I can without seeking to offend).
The next point I want to raise is that of character depth & authenticity. This book has two groups of characters, the young (aged between 14–17) & the adults (ages unknown but presumed to be around 35–50). I found it difficult to distinguish between both Buck & Lucy in terms of distinct voices during their point of view.
I found the development of Lucy’s character a bit bizarre. Lucy knows that she cannot identify all her assailants, she knows that many men are involved in her abuse, & she knows that some of the men that she can identify are in the police force yet, as the story progresses she goes out of her way to put herself & everyone involved, in horrible danger. I could not help but feel utterly annoyed with her character by the end of the story. You are a child & though your lived experiences have involved you in the perils of horrible adult people in your life, you are not equipped to manoeuvre your way through the adult circles that keep these predators safe.
To have Buck repeatedly ask her not to step out of line, only for her to do so, bringing no advancement to the story, was ghastly. Why did she constantly have to put everyone in danger? What good did her actions ever bring? Was she suddenly filled with bravery because she felt that no harm could befall her due to Buck? Where was the development of her character to be the person who carried around a gun & wanted to shoot a police officer in the middle of the station? We go from reading about her suicidal ideations to her desire for murder in such a short period of time that I would have hoped for more details to be given to her transition; perhaps more details as she went from feeling helpless to hopeful.
I also found Lucy to be a difficult character to appreciate because of the way she treats everyone around her. These secondary characters are the epitome of tropes. Booker, the Black character, has a history of violence, his parents are divorced, he doesn’t see his dad, he speaks in broken slang even though we are told he is ‘traditionally’ smart. Not to say that African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is not ‘real’ communicating, more so that his character feels trapped between speaking in AAVE & then, not, for the sole purpose of tormenting Ryan. Speaking of which, Ryan, the East Asian character, is described as overtly ‘nerdy’, very scholastically inclined & also a character that has Asperger’s. After researching a bit more about this condition I came across an article that stated that Asperger’s was no longer included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as of 2013 upon its fifth publication. I can assume (with uncertainty) that this term was kept in this book as many of the terms used by the characters are beyond dated & often employed to shame & torment another.
This means that the utilization of racial slurs was very high within this text as well as terminology which socially has become encouraged to fall into disuse. I appreciate that the characters in this book are struggling to find their way in a world that has very clearly told them that it doesn’t care about their well-being but, I don’t know that we needed to read about the utilization of the R-word when Ryan was in a scene as a way to reinforce the abuse he was subjected to because his friends assumed his mental diagnostic. As well, there is a scene in this book wherein Lucy says that Ryan was ‘putting on an act’ & I don’t understand what that means because,..why would he do that? Also, later in the book Ryan maintains his behavioural tendencies even though Lucy stated them to be untrue. Is this person on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or are they not?
I also wanted to learn more about characters who had lives that were hinted at but never fully explored. Why was Kitty so adept at brandishing weapons, without hesitation? Why did they move to the United States? Why was Ryan so good at hacking (military-grade websites mind you)? What happened to Buck that made him have an m.249 Machine Gun? What happened with Seraphim? How did he meet Naomi? Was this person a hit-man in his past life or was he a vigilante? Why was Lee (Lucy’s dad) so oblivious to everything? This man was in active combat with everyone involved in the child abuse ring, you’re telling me he had no clue that all his ‘buddies’ were predators?
Who is this story for? Which audience would most benefit from reading such a story? A story in which the sole reason behind the protagonist’s success is pure & utter luck. I mean, Lee had a snipper shot to the Chaplain but left it to go talk to him face-to-face? You’re telling me the person who had anger issues to boot, simply put away his gun to wander down a hill to speak with the person leading the physical abuse line-up against his daughter?
I will give credit where it is due however & state that I enjoyed the writing style. Johnson was able to employ a distance within the dialogue of his characters; a rift between who they were & who their trauma altered them to become. We were clearly able to see their struggle to maintain composure throughout the book which leads me to say that, I would read other books from the author in the future.
When all is said & done, I know that many people might appreciate this story for what it was at face value. Unfortunately, this was not a book that I found myself eager to read after the first couple of chapters made it apparent what we would be reading about. I am not the target audience by any means & therefore found it difficult to appreciate the race through the woods, the car crashes, the canoe & Buck & Lucy too.
Thank you to NetGalley, Polis Books, Agora Books, & Wayne Johnson for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2022
When you read a book written by a multiple Pulitzer nominee, you expect a great story. Wayne Johnson does not disappoint here. The Red Canoe is the story of Lucy and Buck. One day, Lucy, a Native American teen living just outside the reservation in Minnesota, shows up at Buck's wood working shop where is has just finished building a rowboat. He agrees to teach her and decide to make a canoe.
But both have hidden secrets in their past. Lucy's is recent. Buck's is many years ago. But when the people who hurt Lucy try to kill Buck, he gets involved. They work together to save each other, but will they do it before their both killed, along with Lucy's father and her friends? Will anyone make it out alive?
This would have received five stars, but the publisher has done some weird formatting in the print edition that took some effort to overcome.
But both have hidden secrets in their past. Lucy's is recent. Buck's is many years ago. But when the people who hurt Lucy try to kill Buck, he gets involved. They work together to save each other, but will they do it before their both killed, along with Lucy's father and her friends? Will anyone make it out alive?
This would have received five stars, but the publisher has done some weird formatting in the print edition that took some effort to overcome.
May 19, 2022
I met Wayne Johnson this April at Left Coast Crime, a fan/author conference for mystery/thriller/suspense buffs. We both participated on a panel titled "Thrillers and Killers," where he represented The Red Canoe and I represented Signs of Murder: A Dana Demeter Mystery. Johnson was an interesting guy and The Red Canoe sounded intriguing, so I bought it. When I asked for his autograph he complied, and then generously bought my book and asked for mine. Thanks Wayne, for being the very first person to ask me to sign my book (and for showing me the "proper way" it should be done!). Hope to see you next year at LCC in Arizona.
July 19, 2023
Overall, this book was predictable, underdeveloped, and unnecessarily violent. I think that Lucy's actions made no sense for her age and the trauma she went through. I also disliked how detailed the writing of her attacks were, as well as when she interacted with other romantic partners in the beginning of the book. It was, to be frank, disturbing, disgusting, and unnecessary. Buck was also a quite underdeveloped character. I did not find the vagueness of his life to be mysterious, rather quite frustrating. This is a theme throughout the book. Many elements of the book feel like you are missing large parts of the story. Frequently, I found myself asking "Why would this character even do this?"
I also think that at least two characters in the book were completely unnecessary to the story. Naomi and Booker add almost nothing to the plot other than harmful and racially motivated stereotypes. The same goes for Ryan, because of course the genius, autistic guy is Asian, right?
I also would be a rich woman if I had a dollar for every single time Johnson uses the phrase "all but" in his writing. Towards the end it was happening so frequently I found myself gritting my teeth while listening to it. I would not recommend this book.
I also think that at least two characters in the book were completely unnecessary to the story. Naomi and Booker add almost nothing to the plot other than harmful and racially motivated stereotypes. The same goes for Ryan, because of course the genius, autistic guy is Asian, right?
I also would be a rich woman if I had a dollar for every single time Johnson uses the phrase "all but" in his writing. Towards the end it was happening so frequently I found myself gritting my teeth while listening to it. I would not recommend this book.
April 24, 2022
THE RED CANOE is a sharply told thriller. It's base-lined in humankind's worst instincts, but the power is all Lucy and Buck's, two protagonists as multi-faceted, unforgiving, and beautiful as ice crystals in a Minnesota Cave. A common thread, their Ojibwe heritage, combined with the natural and terrible beauty of winter off Lake Superior becomes a testament to the sacred over profane.
January 31, 2022
Every now and then you come across a book that is a challenge whether it be in content, characters, language, style or subject matter. Red Canoe was all of these for me. The writing style is blunt and simple, words are not thrown around here and sometimes it's raw. There were points where the bleakness was overwhelming and I didn't want to finish, where it was just too much to keep going. But I did and was hugely rewarded by the sheer joy of these characters. Buck, Lucy, Booker, Kitty, etc. They are REAL and the spark of life . At the ending I was left sad that the book was over and these characters were gone from my life. I just knew they kept existing and I wanted MORE. The subject is tough and heartbreaking but this story justifies faith in the human spirit.
June 18, 2022
One of my teacher besties and I, both book nerd introverts, decided to have a book club of two, and we chose this for our first book. I think we both regretted it.
My thoughts after the first few pages, I was only intrigued by two characters, and one of them was the canoe, the other one was Booker, who gets almost no backstory or development.
I also, personally, found the violence difficult for me to read.
My thoughts after the first few pages, I was only intrigued by two characters, and one of them was the canoe, the other one was Booker, who gets almost no backstory or development.
I also, personally, found the violence difficult for me to read.
February 13, 2022
I requested an ARC of THE RED CANOE because I love the book cover. In this case, judging a book by its cover worked because the novel is excellent! This is the first book by Wayne Johnson I've read. I'm sure it's not going to be the last.
January 3, 2023
After the title page of The Red Canoe, the next page has at least six trigger warnings, all centered on an otherwise blank page. No warning, though, about the tedious plot.
August 23, 2024
REZENSION - „Für die, die zum Schweigen gebracht wurden, die kein Gehör fanden, die keine Stimme hatten.“ Diese Widmung hat der amerikanische Schriftsteller Wayne Johnson (68) seinem Kriminalroman „Das rote Kanu“ vorangestellt, der im Juli beim Polar Verlag erschien. Damit wird deutlich, dass es in der Geschichte um Native Americans geht: Michael Fineday, genannt Buck, der in der Sprache der Ojibwe eigentlich Miskwa‘doden (Roter Hirsch) heißt, handelt kontrolliert und methodisch, während die 15-jährige Lucy, deren Ojibwe-Name Gage‘bineh (Ewiger Vogel) ist, als emotional, impulsiv und waghalsig geschildert wird.
Buck, aufgewachsen und erzogen in einem katholischen Internat außerhalb des Reservats, lebt, inzwischen von seiner Frau Naomi getrennt, als Möbeltischler und Bootsbauer in einem Haus mit Werkstattschuppen in der Nähe des Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Reservats in Minnesota. Grund für die bevorstehende Scheidung war sein „Retterkomplex“ und die damit verbundenen Gefahren, kümmerte sich Buck doch mehr um andere als um sein Leben mit Naomi. Eines Tages taucht die schüchterne Lucy bei ihm auf. Sie ist die Tochter eines Ortspolizisten, der seit seiner Soldatenzeit im Irak-Krieg und dem Tod seiner Ojibwe-Ehefrau, die bei einem Autounfall mit Fahrerflucht ums Leben kam, mit posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen zu kämpfen hat. Vater und Tochter leben im Reservat in einer armseligen Wohnwagensiedlung.
Nur sehr langsam baut sich zwischen Buck und Lucy ein gegenseitiges Vertrauensverhältnis auf. Erst als sie sich in ihrer Muttersprache der Ojibwe unterhalten, fühlen sich beide seelisch verbunden. In Bruchstücken erfährt Buck nun, dass Lucy von den Kollegen ihres Vaters regelmäßig sexuell belästigt und missbraucht wird. Die Polizisten drohen dem Mädchen, ihren Vater umzubringen, sollte sie ihm etwas verraten. Buck spürt Lucys Hilflosigkeit und bietet ihr seine Hilfe an. Als Lucys beste Freundin Jean mit einer Drogen-Überdosis ermordet wird, spitzt sich die Situation zu.
Wayne Johnsons Krimi, dessen Kapitel jeweils zwischen Buck und Lucy als Hauptpersonen wechseln, ist zweigeteilt: Im ersten Teil, für dessen Lektüre man sehr viel Geduld aufbringen muss, erfahren wir nur zögerlich von Bucks Helfersyndrom und Lucys Leidensweg. Vieles wird nur angedeutet, bleibt im Unklaren, so dass sich erst ganz allmählich ein Bild zusammensetzt. Irgendwann wird allerdings erschreckend deutlich, dass es ausgerechnet der Polizist „Onkel Arn“ ist, der sich – nach einem geheimnisvollen Ersttäter, der Lucy eine Kette mit Kreuz umgehängt hat – als Zweiter am Mädchen vergangen hat, gefolgt von einigen Kollegen. Die Tragik für Lucy ist, dass ausgerechnet Polizisten, denen sie sich eigentlich hilfesuchend anvertrauen sollte, in diesem Fall die Täter sind. Deshalb sucht sie Schutz und Hilfe bei Buck. „Er wird ein ersehnter moralischer Kompass in einer scheinbar völlig unmoralischen Welt“, formuliert es US-Schriftsteller Jon Bassoff in seinem Nachwort, in einer Welt voller Rassismus, Frauenhass, Missbrauch und Pädophilie.
Während der Autor im ersten Teil seines Krimis mit „leisen Tönen“ arbeitet und die Geschichte sich nur schleppend entwickeln lässt, holt er im zweiten Teil alles an Tempo nach und – hier spürt man in Johnson den prämierten Drehbuch-Autor – liefert nach bester Blockbuster-Manier einen durchaus spannenden, stellenweise auch brutalen Action-Krimi, der in einem bildreichen Finale seinen Höhepunkt hat, in dem auch das von Buck und Lucy gemeinsam gebaute „rote Kanu“ als typisches Symbol der Native Americans eine entscheidende Rolle spielt. In der Turbulenz mancher Szenen mangelt es allerdings stellenweise an Logik.
Johnsons Krimi ist gewiss kein literarisch anspruchsvolles Werk, zumal er ernste Probleme um ethnische Minderheiten in den USA recht oberflächlich mit allzu schlichten Stereotypen abhandelt: Da sind auf der einen Seite die Native Americans Buck und Lucy als die Guten. Dazu gehören auch Lucys beste Freunde, der Chinese Ryan und der Schwarze Booker, die ihr unter Lebensgefahr beistehen. Auf der anderen Seite stehen die Bösen, die korrupten Polizisten und ein geheimnisvoller Haupttäter als Vertreter der alles beherrschenden Mehrheit weißer Amerikaner. Zusammengefasst ist „Das rote Kanu“ ein typischer, filmreifer US-Krimi, den man gern für ein paar Stunden zur Ablenkung und Unterhaltung lesen darf, aber nicht zwingend lesen muss.
Buck, aufgewachsen und erzogen in einem katholischen Internat außerhalb des Reservats, lebt, inzwischen von seiner Frau Naomi getrennt, als Möbeltischler und Bootsbauer in einem Haus mit Werkstattschuppen in der Nähe des Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Reservats in Minnesota. Grund für die bevorstehende Scheidung war sein „Retterkomplex“ und die damit verbundenen Gefahren, kümmerte sich Buck doch mehr um andere als um sein Leben mit Naomi. Eines Tages taucht die schüchterne Lucy bei ihm auf. Sie ist die Tochter eines Ortspolizisten, der seit seiner Soldatenzeit im Irak-Krieg und dem Tod seiner Ojibwe-Ehefrau, die bei einem Autounfall mit Fahrerflucht ums Leben kam, mit posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen zu kämpfen hat. Vater und Tochter leben im Reservat in einer armseligen Wohnwagensiedlung.
Nur sehr langsam baut sich zwischen Buck und Lucy ein gegenseitiges Vertrauensverhältnis auf. Erst als sie sich in ihrer Muttersprache der Ojibwe unterhalten, fühlen sich beide seelisch verbunden. In Bruchstücken erfährt Buck nun, dass Lucy von den Kollegen ihres Vaters regelmäßig sexuell belästigt und missbraucht wird. Die Polizisten drohen dem Mädchen, ihren Vater umzubringen, sollte sie ihm etwas verraten. Buck spürt Lucys Hilflosigkeit und bietet ihr seine Hilfe an. Als Lucys beste Freundin Jean mit einer Drogen-Überdosis ermordet wird, spitzt sich die Situation zu.
Wayne Johnsons Krimi, dessen Kapitel jeweils zwischen Buck und Lucy als Hauptpersonen wechseln, ist zweigeteilt: Im ersten Teil, für dessen Lektüre man sehr viel Geduld aufbringen muss, erfahren wir nur zögerlich von Bucks Helfersyndrom und Lucys Leidensweg. Vieles wird nur angedeutet, bleibt im Unklaren, so dass sich erst ganz allmählich ein Bild zusammensetzt. Irgendwann wird allerdings erschreckend deutlich, dass es ausgerechnet der Polizist „Onkel Arn“ ist, der sich – nach einem geheimnisvollen Ersttäter, der Lucy eine Kette mit Kreuz umgehängt hat – als Zweiter am Mädchen vergangen hat, gefolgt von einigen Kollegen. Die Tragik für Lucy ist, dass ausgerechnet Polizisten, denen sie sich eigentlich hilfesuchend anvertrauen sollte, in diesem Fall die Täter sind. Deshalb sucht sie Schutz und Hilfe bei Buck. „Er wird ein ersehnter moralischer Kompass in einer scheinbar völlig unmoralischen Welt“, formuliert es US-Schriftsteller Jon Bassoff in seinem Nachwort, in einer Welt voller Rassismus, Frauenhass, Missbrauch und Pädophilie.
Während der Autor im ersten Teil seines Krimis mit „leisen Tönen“ arbeitet und die Geschichte sich nur schleppend entwickeln lässt, holt er im zweiten Teil alles an Tempo nach und – hier spürt man in Johnson den prämierten Drehbuch-Autor – liefert nach bester Blockbuster-Manier einen durchaus spannenden, stellenweise auch brutalen Action-Krimi, der in einem bildreichen Finale seinen Höhepunkt hat, in dem auch das von Buck und Lucy gemeinsam gebaute „rote Kanu“ als typisches Symbol der Native Americans eine entscheidende Rolle spielt. In der Turbulenz mancher Szenen mangelt es allerdings stellenweise an Logik.
Johnsons Krimi ist gewiss kein literarisch anspruchsvolles Werk, zumal er ernste Probleme um ethnische Minderheiten in den USA recht oberflächlich mit allzu schlichten Stereotypen abhandelt: Da sind auf der einen Seite die Native Americans Buck und Lucy als die Guten. Dazu gehören auch Lucys beste Freunde, der Chinese Ryan und der Schwarze Booker, die ihr unter Lebensgefahr beistehen. Auf der anderen Seite stehen die Bösen, die korrupten Polizisten und ein geheimnisvoller Haupttäter als Vertreter der alles beherrschenden Mehrheit weißer Amerikaner. Zusammengefasst ist „Das rote Kanu“ ein typischer, filmreifer US-Krimi, den man gern für ein paar Stunden zur Ablenkung und Unterhaltung lesen darf, aber nicht zwingend lesen muss.
July 20, 2024
Michael Fineday/Buck lebt nicht im Shakopee Mdewakanton Reservat, sondern in der Nähe, und arbeitet als Schreiner und Bootsbauer. Seinen Namen verdankt er dem Erzengel Michael; eine zweifelhafte Ehre, da er und seine Geschwister zwangsweise eine katholische Internatsschule besucht haben. Buck ist offenbar kaum etwas fremd, das Erwachsene Kindern und Jugendlichen antun. Als seine Frau Naomi nach längerer Trennung um seine Unterschrift unter die Scheidungspapiere bittet, ist er am Punkt angelangt, an dem er gegen sich selbst um sein Leben spielt. Seine Ehe scheiterte u. a. daran, dass Buck sich jedem herrenlosen Tier und jeder verlorenen menschlichen Seele liebevoller zuwandte als seiner beruflich beanspruchten Frau.
Als „das Mädchen“ im pinken Hoody Bucks Grundstück betritt, spürt er sofort, dass Lucy Unaussprechliches passiert ist und er sie zurückhaltend behandeln sollte wie eine verwilderte Katze. Die 14Jährige gewinnt augenblicklich sein Herz, weil sie etwas von Hölzern versteht. Sie könnte die Auszubildende sein, von der er bisher nur geträumt hat. Der Focus wechselt zwischen Buck und Lucy, und so erfahren wir, dass sie mit ihrem verwitweten und in zwei amerikanischen Kriegen traumatisierten Vater in einfachsten Verhältnissen im Trailer lebt. Vater Lee Walters arbeitet als Polizist. Seine PTBS und Gewalttätigkeit bekommt er nur mühsam in den Griff und nur, wenn Lucy perfekt spurt und der Haushalt tipptopp in Ordnung ist. Dem Mann, dem jederzeit Arbeitsplatzverlust und Entzug des Sorgerechts drohen und dessen Militärpistole in der Küchenschublade liegt, kann Lucy wirklich nicht anvertrauen, was passiert ist und was seine Polizeikollegen damit zu tun haben.
Als Lucys Freundin Jean ums Leben kommt und die Dinge eskalieren, zeigt sich, dass über Lucy mit Booker und Ryan zwei auf ihre Weise sehr treue Freunde wachen. Die Gruppe, die mit sexueller Gewalt den ganzen Ort zu beherrschen scheint, kann demnach längst nicht so ungestört agieren, wie ihre Mitglieder sich einbilden. Nicht nur Lucy sitzt nun in der Falle, die bisher nichts preisgegeben hat. Klugen Menschen wie Naomi kann sie allerdings nichts vormachen, die zu genau weiß, welche Schicksale es in Bucks Werkstatt zieht.
Auch wenn Wayne Johnson die alles durchdringende sexuelle Gewalt zurückhaltend schildert, geht es im dramatischen Showdown gnadenlos zur Sache.
Fazit
„Das rote Kanu“ ist ein Roman der schweigenden, nicht gesehenen und unterschätzten Figuren. Buck lebt vermutlich aus gutem Grund stark auf Privatsphäre bedacht, von Lucys Wächtern fragte ich mich erst nach einer Weile, wie sie aussehen - und weitere Figuren können durch unerwartete Stärken verblüffen. Sehr berührt hat mich die Annäherung beim gemeinschaftlichen Bootsbauen zwischen Buck und Lucy; so entsteht u. a. das Kanu aus eigenwillig geflammter Rotzeder, das noch eine wichtige Rolle im Buch spielen wird. Zugegeben, ich habe auch darum gefiebert, dass Johnsons robuste Figuren dem roten Kanu keinen Schaden zufügen … Ein stets spannender Roman mit schüchterner Katze und hinreißenden Nebenfiguren.
Als „das Mädchen“ im pinken Hoody Bucks Grundstück betritt, spürt er sofort, dass Lucy Unaussprechliches passiert ist und er sie zurückhaltend behandeln sollte wie eine verwilderte Katze. Die 14Jährige gewinnt augenblicklich sein Herz, weil sie etwas von Hölzern versteht. Sie könnte die Auszubildende sein, von der er bisher nur geträumt hat. Der Focus wechselt zwischen Buck und Lucy, und so erfahren wir, dass sie mit ihrem verwitweten und in zwei amerikanischen Kriegen traumatisierten Vater in einfachsten Verhältnissen im Trailer lebt. Vater Lee Walters arbeitet als Polizist. Seine PTBS und Gewalttätigkeit bekommt er nur mühsam in den Griff und nur, wenn Lucy perfekt spurt und der Haushalt tipptopp in Ordnung ist. Dem Mann, dem jederzeit Arbeitsplatzverlust und Entzug des Sorgerechts drohen und dessen Militärpistole in der Küchenschublade liegt, kann Lucy wirklich nicht anvertrauen, was passiert ist und was seine Polizeikollegen damit zu tun haben.
Als Lucys Freundin Jean ums Leben kommt und die Dinge eskalieren, zeigt sich, dass über Lucy mit Booker und Ryan zwei auf ihre Weise sehr treue Freunde wachen. Die Gruppe, die mit sexueller Gewalt den ganzen Ort zu beherrschen scheint, kann demnach längst nicht so ungestört agieren, wie ihre Mitglieder sich einbilden. Nicht nur Lucy sitzt nun in der Falle, die bisher nichts preisgegeben hat. Klugen Menschen wie Naomi kann sie allerdings nichts vormachen, die zu genau weiß, welche Schicksale es in Bucks Werkstatt zieht.
Auch wenn Wayne Johnson die alles durchdringende sexuelle Gewalt zurückhaltend schildert, geht es im dramatischen Showdown gnadenlos zur Sache.
Fazit
„Das rote Kanu“ ist ein Roman der schweigenden, nicht gesehenen und unterschätzten Figuren. Buck lebt vermutlich aus gutem Grund stark auf Privatsphäre bedacht, von Lucys Wächtern fragte ich mich erst nach einer Weile, wie sie aussehen - und weitere Figuren können durch unerwartete Stärken verblüffen. Sehr berührt hat mich die Annäherung beim gemeinschaftlichen Bootsbauen zwischen Buck und Lucy; so entsteht u. a. das Kanu aus eigenwillig geflammter Rotzeder, das noch eine wichtige Rolle im Buch spielen wird. Zugegeben, ich habe auch darum gefiebert, dass Johnsons robuste Figuren dem roten Kanu keinen Schaden zufügen … Ein stets spannender Roman mit schüchterner Katze und hinreißenden Nebenfiguren.
March 15, 2022
At the outset of The Red Canoe by Wayne Johnson, there is a quotation, the sentiments of which cut to the quick more and more as I read this book of fiction that could very well reflect true-to-life incidents. The quotation talks about the silenced who had not been heard nor did they have a voice. Common grace righteous people, in my opinion, will speak up for these silenced and silent ones. Buck was such a one to speak up even at personal cost. Definitely, I'd say he's one of this book's heros.
In this narrative we have Lucy, a teenager, and her Dad, who is a cop. Will leave it to future readers to figure out on which side of this human rights equation he stood. Dirty cops and others that prey on young girls, especially those Native American girls, on or off the reservation, are seen targeted in a most despicable manner.
The reader will also meet Jean, Booker, Ryan and his Mom, and Naomi, each of varying ethnic backgrounds and roles in the story. Add the Red Canoe itself along with Gyp the barometer cat. The snowy winter ending will both chill and warm the heartstrings; at least it did mine.
Teenage readers will more than likely find this book spell-binding, heart-racing and hopefully, even inspiring towards championing and whistle-blowing causes such as are revealed within the pages of this novel. However, I would personally not restrict reader-ship to that age group. I believe it's good for one and all to be informed and do whatever they can within their power to help the unjustly afflicted peoples perpetuated wrongly against by those in positions of power and influence. I assume this could quite likely be what the author had in mind.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
January 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary, review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
In this narrative we have Lucy, a teenager, and her Dad, who is a cop. Will leave it to future readers to figure out on which side of this human rights equation he stood. Dirty cops and others that prey on young girls, especially those Native American girls, on or off the reservation, are seen targeted in a most despicable manner.
The reader will also meet Jean, Booker, Ryan and his Mom, and Naomi, each of varying ethnic backgrounds and roles in the story. Add the Red Canoe itself along with Gyp the barometer cat. The snowy winter ending will both chill and warm the heartstrings; at least it did mine.
Teenage readers will more than likely find this book spell-binding, heart-racing and hopefully, even inspiring towards championing and whistle-blowing causes such as are revealed within the pages of this novel. However, I would personally not restrict reader-ship to that age group. I believe it's good for one and all to be informed and do whatever they can within their power to help the unjustly afflicted peoples perpetuated wrongly against by those in positions of power and influence. I assume this could quite likely be what the author had in mind.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
January 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary, review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
November 15, 2024
Ya'll I READ the blurb and still was not ready for how fked up this book is.
Buck is a Native Jason Statham type with a savior complex, consistently seeking retribution for those who can't fight for themselves.
Sadly, his wife is tired of his self-righteous personality and has served him with divorce papers leaving him feeling rejected and suicidal. As if he no longer has a purpose.
That is until he meets Lucy. From the first glance he can see she's in distressed, withdrawn, abused, and a victim of something or someone or multiple someones.
Lucy is being trafficked by her dad's best friend and fellow brothers in blue. Ya'll these cops are bold af. The way they move throughout the community is insane. There is an entire network preying on Indigenous girls.
Now that Lucy and Buck are spending time together, he has a target on his back. Both are being watched and intimidated, other possible victims are dying or disappearing.
Thoughts of suicide and violence plague both.
The uncovering of the trafficking ring, the retaliation taken by the cops on Lucy's allies, and the action packed take down were intense, entertaining, and left me in my feelings.
A part of me wants to latch on to the fact that this is fiction but as a person who has advocated human trafficking awareness, is familiar with the statistics of domestic and sexual violence against all women including Indigenous Women. As someone who has been following the MMIW Awareness Movement, I can't help but remind myself that all fiction is inspired by some sort of real life.
Video Review: https://www.tiktok.com/@plus.size.bib...
Buck is a Native Jason Statham type with a savior complex, consistently seeking retribution for those who can't fight for themselves.
Sadly, his wife is tired of his self-righteous personality and has served him with divorce papers leaving him feeling rejected and suicidal. As if he no longer has a purpose.
That is until he meets Lucy. From the first glance he can see she's in distressed, withdrawn, abused, and a victim of something or someone or multiple someones.
Lucy is being trafficked by her dad's best friend and fellow brothers in blue. Ya'll these cops are bold af. The way they move throughout the community is insane. There is an entire network preying on Indigenous girls.
Now that Lucy and Buck are spending time together, he has a target on his back. Both are being watched and intimidated, other possible victims are dying or disappearing.
Thoughts of suicide and violence plague both.
The uncovering of the trafficking ring, the retaliation taken by the cops on Lucy's allies, and the action packed take down were intense, entertaining, and left me in my feelings.
A part of me wants to latch on to the fact that this is fiction but as a person who has advocated human trafficking awareness, is familiar with the statistics of domestic and sexual violence against all women including Indigenous Women. As someone who has been following the MMIW Awareness Movement, I can't help but remind myself that all fiction is inspired by some sort of real life.
Video Review: https://www.tiktok.com/@plus.size.bib...
November 25, 2025
This was such a quiet, powerful story that hit me far harder than I expected.
The Red Canoe is one of those novels where the emotion sneaks up on you! One moment you’re reading about a solitary craftsman shaping wood into something beautiful, and the next you’re knee deep in themes of generational trauma, resilience, and found family.
Buck and Lucy are two characters I won’t forget anytime soon. Buck, on the edge of losing everything, channels his pain into carving canoes, trying to hold himself together one piece of cedar at a time. And then there’s Lucy ,fifteen, brave in ways she shouldn’t have to be, navigating a life marked by fear and silence. Their connection felt raw, gentle, and full of this almost sacred sense of shared Ojibwe heritage.
The book balances darkness with hope so carefully. Some scenes are difficult to read... Wayne Johnson doesn’t shy away from the realities of abuse, PTSD, and community failures but he also shows how healing can grow in unlikely places, and how two wounded people can still build something strong together.
It’s heartfelt, haunting, and beautifully written. A story about protection, justice, culture, and the bonds we choose. A tough read at times, but a worthwhile one.
The Red Canoe is one of those novels where the emotion sneaks up on you! One moment you’re reading about a solitary craftsman shaping wood into something beautiful, and the next you’re knee deep in themes of generational trauma, resilience, and found family.
Buck and Lucy are two characters I won’t forget anytime soon. Buck, on the edge of losing everything, channels his pain into carving canoes, trying to hold himself together one piece of cedar at a time. And then there’s Lucy ,fifteen, brave in ways she shouldn’t have to be, navigating a life marked by fear and silence. Their connection felt raw, gentle, and full of this almost sacred sense of shared Ojibwe heritage.
The book balances darkness with hope so carefully. Some scenes are difficult to read... Wayne Johnson doesn’t shy away from the realities of abuse, PTSD, and community failures but he also shows how healing can grow in unlikely places, and how two wounded people can still build something strong together.
It’s heartfelt, haunting, and beautifully written. A story about protection, justice, culture, and the bonds we choose. A tough read at times, but a worthwhile one.
December 6, 2025
The Red Canoe by Wayne Johnson
🧊 trauma recovery | 🛶 found-family connection | 🌫️ quiet justice
➡️ɢᴏᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ:
° Readers who want a heavy, thoughtful story that unfolds with care in a frozen setting.
° Those who appreciate literary, slowly paced stories of abuse in underprivileged youth, specifically of minority descent with themes of abuse and emotion repression
➡️ꜱᴋɪᴘ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ:
High speed pacing or constant wild twists.
➡️ᴀᴅᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʙʀ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ…
° Want literary writing that’s easy to follow + full of wintery tension
° Enjoy stories that find a start in dark places
➡️ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ:
Buck, an Ojibwe boatbuilder barely holding on, crosses paths with Lucy, a fifteen-year-old surviving an abusive home. Their quiet bond grows as they uncover the truth behind the danger she’s trapped in, leading them toward a wider ring of harm hiding in plain sight. Their shared heritage becomes both anchor and compass as they fight for safety.
➡️ᴛʜʀɪʟʟ-ᴏ-ᴍᴇᴛᴇʀ: 🩵🩵🩵🩵
The pace was a bit slow, but the writing felt easy and steady. The plot was somewhat predictable at times, yet the emotional notes hit clearly. The dialogue felt real, the cold setting settles into your bones, and the friendship gives the story heart even when the subject matter is bleak.
🧊 trauma recovery | 🛶 found-family connection | 🌫️ quiet justice
➡️ɢᴏᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ:
° Readers who want a heavy, thoughtful story that unfolds with care in a frozen setting.
° Those who appreciate literary, slowly paced stories of abuse in underprivileged youth, specifically of minority descent with themes of abuse and emotion repression
➡️ꜱᴋɪᴘ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ:
High speed pacing or constant wild twists.
➡️ᴀᴅᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʙʀ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ…
° Want literary writing that’s easy to follow + full of wintery tension
° Enjoy stories that find a start in dark places
➡️ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ:
Buck, an Ojibwe boatbuilder barely holding on, crosses paths with Lucy, a fifteen-year-old surviving an abusive home. Their quiet bond grows as they uncover the truth behind the danger she’s trapped in, leading them toward a wider ring of harm hiding in plain sight. Their shared heritage becomes both anchor and compass as they fight for safety.
➡️ᴛʜʀɪʟʟ-ᴏ-ᴍᴇᴛᴇʀ: 🩵🩵🩵🩵
The pace was a bit slow, but the writing felt easy and steady. The plot was somewhat predictable at times, yet the emotional notes hit clearly. The dialogue felt real, the cold setting settles into your bones, and the friendship gives the story heart even when the subject matter is bleak.
July 6, 2025
Where to even start with this one?
Rough plot: 14 year old Lucy teams up with her middle aged carpenter friend to avenge her repeated rapes and molestations at the hands of the local police and clergy.
Soooo…not off to a great start. I guess the most obvious problem here is the baseline of an older male author writing so graphically about the sex abuse of a minor and then further delving into the hyper-sexual, albeit consensual, proclivities of that very same minor. Add in the oft mentioned detail that she’s pre-pubescent and the whole affair starts to reek more of this man’s fantasy than horror. As a middle aged man myself, I can’t imagine writing a 14 year old girl at all, let alone writing her constantly jerking off, being jerked off, or jerking off a friend. Throw all the raping into the mix and it just leaves me more than a little suspicious about Wayne Johnson’s motivations.
If you can look past that (definitely don’t), there’s a bunch of tired racial slurs and stereotypes to wade through, none of which actually contribute to the story. The bad guys dont need slurs to telegraph to the reader how bad they are, after all they are RAPING A CHILD. Perhaps that’s enough for us to figure it out? And the nerdy computer whiz doesn’t need to be Asian, or the tall athletic kid black. Really, despite the constant reminders, no persons race actually mattered to the story. This wasn’t Tony Hillerman where the Navajo Nation is the entire driving force behind the lore of the book. The main characters here are Native Americans, but there’s little to nothing important about that fact.
I’ll call it a poorly realized pedo-thriller, grimy and forgettable.
Rough plot: 14 year old Lucy teams up with her middle aged carpenter friend to avenge her repeated rapes and molestations at the hands of the local police and clergy.
Soooo…not off to a great start. I guess the most obvious problem here is the baseline of an older male author writing so graphically about the sex abuse of a minor and then further delving into the hyper-sexual, albeit consensual, proclivities of that very same minor. Add in the oft mentioned detail that she’s pre-pubescent and the whole affair starts to reek more of this man’s fantasy than horror. As a middle aged man myself, I can’t imagine writing a 14 year old girl at all, let alone writing her constantly jerking off, being jerked off, or jerking off a friend. Throw all the raping into the mix and it just leaves me more than a little suspicious about Wayne Johnson’s motivations.
If you can look past that (definitely don’t), there’s a bunch of tired racial slurs and stereotypes to wade through, none of which actually contribute to the story. The bad guys dont need slurs to telegraph to the reader how bad they are, after all they are RAPING A CHILD. Perhaps that’s enough for us to figure it out? And the nerdy computer whiz doesn’t need to be Asian, or the tall athletic kid black. Really, despite the constant reminders, no persons race actually mattered to the story. This wasn’t Tony Hillerman where the Navajo Nation is the entire driving force behind the lore of the book. The main characters here are Native Americans, but there’s little to nothing important about that fact.
I’ll call it a poorly realized pedo-thriller, grimy and forgettable.
January 13, 2023
A page turning dark thriller. Contemporary indigineus trauma and revenge told from alternating viewpoints of a 15 year old motherless daughter with a cop father who has lots of issues and a seasoned, divorced carpenter with ugliness in his past that we never fully understand. Some of the supporting characters are not very dimensional, serving mostly just to push the story forward, but there is still lots to appreciate about this quick read
February 4, 2023
The Red Canoe isn't just about two human being fixing up each other. It's about seeing a light in the darkness, being aware that the good always balance evil in this world. The red canoe that Buck builds with Lucy, bearing the same color of the Indian civil rights movement, is a symbol that stands for resistance. A good but not always excellent writing, design a gripping thriller that inevitably report the problem of violence against Indian women reservation.
July 24, 2025
Not my usual read. But I couldn't put it down. I even read it while brushing my teeth. Great vacation read but ++ trigger warnings are listed on the inside cover.
A couple of discrepencies, though. Why on earth would Lucy wash dishes mere hours after the tip of her finger was sliced off and reattached? Surely her father would have stepped in? This bugs me more than it probably should.
The second discrepency I've forgotten. Probably because of the dinner dishes, haha.
A couple of discrepencies, though. Why on earth would Lucy wash dishes mere hours after the tip of her finger was sliced off and reattached? Surely her father would have stepped in? This bugs me more than it probably should.
The second discrepency I've forgotten. Probably because of the dinner dishes, haha.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2022
Thrilling. BUT BRUTAL. Thankfully the author had a trigger warning at the start of the book. Such a powerful, heartbreaking story- all the more intense because while fiction- this brutality actually happens in our world, especially to indigenous women. Highly recommend. Took me a bit to get into his writing style, but the story is what gripped me to the end.
October 24, 2022
This was an exciting mystery but also totally ridiculous. The first half of the book dealt with very heavy issues but the second half was like an action movie with unbelievable characters like the always drunk in the first half of the book Chinese mother who, in the second half , turns out to be almost a trained killer.
February 22, 2022
What starts as a tale about Native Americans and abuse develops into a story of bloody vigilante executions. It's well written and suspenseful but the psychological side was not as worked out as it should have been.
June 4, 2022
Read this novel in 2 days! Could not put it down … very heavy and disturbing topics weaved throughout the story of an abused Indigenous girl whose father was a police officer.
Story set in present day in Minnesota. It was heart warming and gut wrenching and had me on the edge of my seat.
Story set in present day in Minnesota. It was heart warming and gut wrenching and had me on the edge of my seat.
July 24, 2023
This was spoilt for me by the coincidence of being the 2nd book in a row with paedophilia in it - a horrible thing to read again so soon. That said, it was gripping, well written and tense. I personally would have liked a bit more of Buck’s back story focussing on his indigenous background.
December 18, 2023
Not really my kind of book, pretty dark. It.takes place on and near a.reservation in Minnesota. A group of of police is preying on young.girls and one girl gets help from a man who can't help helping.
April 17, 2022
To me, this was a very odd book. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the overall gist of it, but just found it odd. It was difficult to follow at times, but it was very well written.
April 26, 2022
Really struggled with the fist half to 2/3 of this book….almost didn’t finish it…couldn’t figure out what the problem was, lots of characters to keep track of, but the ending was decent….
June 21, 2022
This story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. Timely, pertinent, and totally engrossing!
July 13, 2022
2.5 stars. It was slow until the last 30 pages or so.
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