The Lesser Blessed re-issued

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If you missed it the first time, don't miss it now. Richard Van Camp's The Lesser Blessed, first published in 1996 to rave reviews as a powerful first novel has been re-issued by Douglas & McIntyre.

Sherman Alexie describes the book as First Nation noir madness. "I love it, and I'm sorta scared of it, too," he comments on the cover. The publishers describe the novel as "an eye-opening depiction of what it is to be a young Dogrib man in the age of AIDS, disillusionment with Catholicism and a growing world consciousness." The main character is Larry, a 16-year-old growing up in the northern town of Fort Simmer. Larry loves Iron Maiden, the North and Juliet Hope, the high school tramp. He is dealing with an abusive father, blackouts from sniffing gasoline, and an accident that killed his cousins. And he's being hunted by a pack of blue monkeys. How could you not be interested?