This is a very standard collection of short stories by a very good writer, who rises above some of the simply cultural stories he tells to be kind of funny in places, and while this collection is not anything special, that does not mean it was a waste of time. I first heard of Brady Udall when his most recent novel, The Lonely Polygamist, was named the best novel of 2010 by Entertainment Weekly, and from reading this collection, which was published in the mid-nineties, there is enough potential in these stories that I am very excited to pick up that book next year. Until then, this story collection is a relatively harmless look at life on an Indian Reservation. Udall seems to have a great sense of humor about the people he writes about, and they always lean toward being funnier than they are serious, even when the subject matter is grim. I like that quality in them because it sets Udall apart from the many run-of-the-mill writers who seem to be obsessed with their culture to the point of arrogance. The downside is that a lot of these stories fall flat, and I was left still somewhat of a stranger to the world Udall is writing about. I really liked the first story, Midnight Raid”, about an Indian man breaking into his ex-wife’s new home to see his son for one last time and give him his favorite baby goat. It is very funny, and has a cathartic ending that many people will find hilarious. The ending story “ He Becomes Deeply and Famously Drunk”, again uses humor to show the futility of seeking revenge, and ends on a poignant note. Far from perfect yet far from being as atrocious as some of the ethnic centered fiction that is published in America, Letting Loose the Hounds may be worth your time.
Rating: 4/5
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