He is such a master of empathy - of delineating the experience of time passing, of lessons being learned, of tragedies being endured - that what Saul discovers becomes something the reader learns, as well, shocking and alien, valuable and true.

' Indian Horse distills much of what Wagamese has been writing about for his whole career into a clearer and sharper liquor, both more bitter and more moving than he has managed in the past. 'Wagamese pulls off a fine balancing act: exposing the horrors of the country's residential schools while also celebrating Canada's national game.' 'Wagamese captures the beauty of hockey as few sportswriters could hope to match.' 'Indian Horse is a force for healing in our beautiful, broken world.' 'Richard Wagamese's writing is sweet medicine for the soul.' 'Richard Wagamese is a national treasure.' 'Wagamese is capable of true grace on the page.' Indian Horse (French: Cheval Indien) is a novel by Canadian writer Richard Wagamese, published by Douglas & McIntyre in 2012. finds alleviating balance through magical legend.' 'Richard Wagamese is a born storyteller.' Wagamese writes with a spare beauty, penetrating the heart of a remarkable Ojibway man. Indian Horse unfolds against the bleak loveliness of northern Ontario, all rock, marsh, bog and cedar. But in the harsh realities of 1960s Canada, he battles obdurate racism and the spirit-destroying effects of cultural alienation and displacement.

For Saul, taken forcibly from the land and his family when he's sent to residential school, salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player. With compassion and insight, author Richard Wagamese traces through his fictional characters the decline of a culture and a cultural way. Tucked away in a hospice high above the clash and clang of a big city, he embarks on a marvellous journey of imagination back through the life he led as a northern Ojibway, with all its sorrows and joys. An unforgettable work of art.- National Post

Indian horse full book