The title of this book, Charity, is drawn from two sources. The first is the setting, which is turn of the century Charity, South Dakota. The second is the text from First Corinthians, referring to charity as the pure love of Christ. The harsh South Dakota climate plays an important part in the plot, as does the theme of love. It’s a smartly written book, with an intricate, non-linear plot. Although it is fiction, it has a strong mystery component as well. The mystery serves as a backdrop for the exploration of the broader themes of love and acceptance.

The plot has a very unusual format. There are a lot of flashbacks, and events are not always relayed in chronological order. Although the book is basically structured around the mystery plot, the protagonist’s involvement in the mystery is rather peripheral. While this sounds like it might be rather confusing, it really wasn’t. This is a book with a lot of secrets that are revealed very slowly. The unconventional nature of the narrative heightened the suspense and kept me turning pages until the end.

The protagonist is Gustie Roemer, a newcomer from Pennsylvania. She has been working as Charity’s school teacher, and she is liked and respected, but still considered somewhat of an outsider. No one is sure exactly why she came to South Dakota, or where she goes when she disappears for weeks at a time.

The mystery plot centers around Lena Kaiser, who is Gustie’s best friend in Charity. Lena’s husband Will has just been accused of murdering his father. Everyone in town knows that Will didn’t do it. Will’s family lives in town also, and they are all strange and violent in varying ways. There are bad secrets in the Kaiser family, and one of the family is obviously the real murderer.

Gustie is determined to help Lena and Will, but she has problems in her own life as well. During her mysterious disappearances she lives with an elderly Sioux woman named Dorcas. Gustie is driven to Dorcas’s home by terrible nightmares, and Dorcas helps her ease them. In the meantine she teaches Gustie about Sioux life and traditions. On one of these visits, Gustie meets Dorcas’s granddaughter Jordis. Gustie and Jordis are drawn to each other, and the visits between them become more frequent as their relationship becomes more involved. The people of Charity become aware of Gustie’s relationship with the Sioux, and they react with varying degrees of prejudice. Lena dislikes Indians, and her relationship with Gustie becomes strained as a result. All these conflicts come to a head as the murder is solved.

Prejudice is a prominent theme in the novel, and several different facets of prejudice are scrutinized. Most prominent is the prejudice the whites hold for the Indians, and their poor treatment of them. To a lesser degree, the prejudices against outsiders and homosexuals are explored. Jordis tells harrowing tales of her treatment at the white school, where Indian children were forced to conform to white ways and were treated harshly if they did not. While the treatment of Indians has improved since her childhood (they are allowed to dance again, and they have there own schools now), they still must deal with crushing poverty, dishonest government agents, and general prejudice. Ms Caller does an excellent job of portraying the struggles of Indian life at this time. I am not a fan of Indian historical romances, mostly because the lifestyle is such a difficult one that it doesn’t sound very romantic to me. In a fictional setting such as this one, the presentation of Indian life seems much more honest.

The mystery plot was handled well. The secrets were revealed so slowly that at times it nearly drove me crazy, but the suspense was ever-present. I was always dying to know what happened next, or what had happened in the past. The somewhat shocking conclusion is not for the faint of heart, but it’s no more violent than the average Nora Roberts hard cover.

The characterization is strong here as well. Gustie is by far the most interesting, with her vague past and her motivations that are gradually explained. I liked Jordis too, but she could be overly maudlin at times. The Kaiser family was creepy yet fascinating. I actually would have liked to see a little more of them. They figure prominently in the mystery plot, but there are so many of them that we really don’t get to know them quite well enough.

I enjoyed this book. The interesting plot structure and the exploration of the themes really worked for me. However, it should be noted that there is homosexual content. Nothing is ever explicit, but it could still offend some readers. If you can handle this, and you enjoy non-genre fiction, then you may really appreciate this thoughtful novel.