by Kathleen Angelone, Bookmamas
Born the unlucky thirteenth child in an Irish family building a new life on the American frontier, Katie O’Toole’s life was filled with toil, misery and little hope. At the same time, Indian Holyman Syawa dreams of Katie, the Creature of Fire and Ice, in a vision. He and his friend Hector journey to find Katie and bring her back to their homeland. In 1747, Syawa and Hector join Indians in attacking Katie’s home. Most of her family is killed and the remainder are taken captive. Given the option of going with Syawa or staying with the other captives, Katie chooses to accompany Syawa and his friend Hector on their journey to their western homeland.
The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed, is the narrative detailing her experiences that Katie writes many years later. The novel sounds like the captive narratives so popular early in the country’s history. Even some of the words and syntax are colonial rather than modern. For example, “even” is “e’en” and and “cracked” becomes “crackt.” Told in the first person, the reader learns customs of the Native Americans and experiences the sights and sounds of the journey west through Katie’s eyes. At first Katie feels helpless since all cooking and other necessities of the trip are accomplished completely differently than she learned with her birth family. Slowly, though, she gains skills and language to express herself. She learns of the Indian concepts of gifts, spirituality and personhood. The narrative is chock-a-block with interesting details and adventures. Not wanting to spoil the reading experience, though, I’m not going to relate any of them.
K.B. Laugheed draws the reader into Katie’s world of discovery and adventure. The reader cares about Katie and wants all to go well for her as she learns about the “wilderness,” life and love. It was sad leaving Katie at the end of the tale. Could there be a sequel in the future? I hope so.
Appropriate for teenagers through adults, The Spirit Keeper will appeal to many readers, particularly those who enjoyed James Alexander Thom’s classic, Follow the River. Although completely fictional, this first book is a fine addition to the tradition of American frontier stories.
Meet the Indianapolis author, K.B. Laugheed, at Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson, on Saturday, November 30 from 1:30-3:30.
