| On the average, people prefer to have things explained to them as they happened rather than in order of importance or in chance sequence. For example, if your 3rd grade son were assigned a "What did you do on your summer vacation?" paper, you would probably direct him to start his paper describing what he did on the first day of vacation leading up to the last. But, maybe he went to Disneyland in June and stayed home with the flu in August. The climax of his paper would occur at the very beginning and it would end very uneventful, falling quite short of a Pulitzer prize winning essay. Narratives are often written in this same predictable way which can take the element of surprise and mystery out of the novel. In her Love Medicine series, Louise Erdrich takes her readers out of that chronological comfort zone and forces them to meet and learn about her characters in a random, almost senseless, order which results in magically creating an experience for her non-Native American readers that is somewhat akin to Native American spirituality. |
| Each chapter in each of Erdrich's books is narrated by a different character who tells the reader about themselves or an experience that he or she has encountered. Not only are the characters introduced randomly, but their experiences are also arranged in no particular order within these novels. If this isn't confusing enough, the order in which Erdrich wrote the books is in the same erratic sequence: Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, Tracks, and finally The Bingo Palace. If one were to read the books in chronological order, they would read them in the following order: Tracks, The Beet Queen, Love Medicine, and The Bingo Palace. |
| Although I grew up in central North Dakota, seventy miles from an Indian Reservation, I have had little experience with Native American culture and beliefs. The few Native Americans in my hometown had been "Americanized," knowing little, if anything at all, about their native ancestry. The mystery and magic of Native American spirituality has been something that I have never understood or even attempted to understand. Despite my ignorance and total absorption in my own little, conformist WASP world, Erdrich was able to draw me in and make me a part of the untamed, passionate, and regrettably almost extinct lives and culture of North Dakota's Chippewa. At least for the length of time it took me to complete Erdrich's series, I felt a part of and truly believed in the magic and spirituality that these people have. |
| As I mentioned earlier, the order in which Erdrich wrote each of these books and even the order of each chapter in each book is sporadic and unpredictable. I read them in the order that Erdrich wrote them; and not unlike the average reader would, I resisted it at first. It didn't take long before I surrendered and willingly let Erdrich transport me into the wild and spiritual world of the North Dakota Native American. I strongly believe that the order in which I read her books intensified the effect. |
| The character that is most enhanced through reading Erdrich's books in this order is Fleur Pillager. Erdrich first introduced this enigmatic character to the world as an old woman in Love Medicine. In a chronological timeline, this book would be third in line. However, it was the first book of this series that Erdrich wrote. In this novel Fleur is portrayed as a legend whose name most of the other characters are afraid to even breath without consequence because she "was known for putting the twisted mouth on people, seizing up their hearts" and casting other dreadful spells on those who wronged her (Love Medicine 241). |
| Young Lipsha's Grandmother wants Lipsha to procure a love potion for her to use on her cheating, half senile husband. However, the only woman who knows the secret to "love medicines" is Fleur. Fleur is a descendent of the most powerful family of medicine people in the history of the tribe and the thought of asking "Old Lady Pillager" terrifies Lipsha. He reveals to the readers that "the truth is [he] was afraid of her, like everyone else" (Love Medicine 241). The reason that Lipsha and many of the other members of this tribe are so fearful of Fleur is because there are so many unanswered questions and events that surround her life and the legend of it. |
| If one were to read Erdrich's books in chronological order, they would gain a deeper understanding of each character and what motivates them, but the element of discovery and mysticism would diminish. In Tracks. the secret of Fleur's magic is revealed. This is the third book Erdrich wrote in this series; but in a chronological timeline, the events in this book occur first. So, if readers were to experience this book first, they would sadly discover that Fleur possesses no real, actual magic. There is a shift that occurs during this novel: the state of awe over Fleur's mysticism turns to a gained respect for her mortal wisdom. Readers learn that Fleur gained her reputation through her own cunning and local gossip which spoils the fairy tale and forces us back to reality. In Tracks, Fleur's exalted legend which was first introduced in Love Medicine is reiterated as merely clever tricks played on others at the hands of Fleur. When the government excavation crew shows up at Fleur's door to level her ancestral home, she contrives a spectacle to put the "fear of Fleur" in the men. The men believe that Fleur and her ancestors are so furious that they summon up spirits to cause the trees to topple down all around everyone. However, we learn that it was an illusion that Fleur herself had created: "each tree was sawed through at the base" (Tracks 223). Consequently, if we read Erdrich's novels in chronological order, we would already know by the time we got to Love Medicine that Fleur is a tangible character who has gained her mystical reputation through illusion and gossip. |
| It all depends on what a reader wishes to gain from Erdrich's novels. If you wish to obtain only historical facts and an objective view of North Dakota's Native Americans, read Erdrich's novels in chronological order. But, if one wishes to be personally involved in the romance and spirituality of North Dakota's Native Americans, read these novels in the order Erdrich wrote them. That is the only way to become mentally immersed in the wonderfully spiritual magic of Fleur and Erdrich's Love Medicine series. |
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