WANDERS FAR

A Mohawk boy grows to adulthood in the 12th century and has a front-row seat to the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

In this historical novel, Fitz-Gerald (In the Shadow of a Giant, 2017) imagines life in the area that is now the Northeastern United States during the 1100s, following one boy from birth through old age. Wanders Far, one of the People of the Flint, is born into a comfortable clan led by his mother, Bear Fat. From early childhood, he exhibits a taste for exploration that earns him his name (“Fisher put one of his hands on each of his little brother’s shoulders, gave him a single, gentle shake, and proclaimed that Wanders Far was destined to be a runner, a traveler, a messenger between villages, and perhaps between tribes!”). Wanders Far also has a talent for visions. With the help of a mentor, Follows Stars, he foresees the arrival of Hudson, Champlain, and other European explorers hundreds of years in the future as well as the much more proximate unification of his tribe and others into the Iroquois Confederacy, an event that he helps to bring about in his role as a runner. Fitz-Gerald has clearly done his research into early Mohawk life, and the book features many elaborate descriptions of daily activities (“Bear Fat and Squash used bone awls to poke holes into the birch bark and used the spruce roots as stitching to sew the seams”). The novel is based on Iroquois oral tradition (the story of Hiawatha; the circumstances of the confederacy’s founding) combined with fictional characters and events. Some readers may feel that Fitz-Gerald indulges in “just the sort of leap the author of an historical novel gets to make,” taking undue liberties with Iroquois history. But for those who enjoy an invented version of the past, this work presents a solidly written tale with engaging characters and ample details, making for an enjoyable read.

This engrossing, well-written novel tells the story of a pivotal moment in Iroquois history through a well-traveled protagonist.