Denet-Tsosie, a Diné writer, is another writer to watch and read. The first paragraph is exquisite, as is the rest of the writing in this story and throughout the collection by the same title. I love short stories that feel expansive and operate with depth. There are stories within stories within stories, each sentence a gift of sensory detail and description. The narration here is close, personable, like I’m sitting next to the narrator on the tailgate of a pick, and we’re maybe telling sheep stories, or “this one time” stories, and this tale of a missing girl unfolds, but the story isn’t simply about the missing girl, but everything leading up to that event and everyone, every being around that event. Everything has a presence in this story and agency. The story reciprocates, the ending a relief, a signal of hope and survival. A wonderful way to end a fantastic collection.
Collected in The Missing Morningstar: And Other Stories, Torrey House Press 2023
A Personal Anthology 