Synopses & Reviews
From the screenwriter of the Oscar-nominated
House of Sand and Fog, a fierce, elegant, page-turning novel about race, money, and the American Dream.
JW is a small-town banker. His specialty: teaching other bankers in towns near Indian reservations how to profit from casino deposits without exposing themselves to risk. His problem: having lost his son in a car accident a year ago, JW is depressed, his wife is leaving him, and he can't stop gambling.
When he is caught embezzling funds to support his addiction, JW's boss offers him a choice. He can either accept responsibility and go to prison, or use his talents to sabotage a competing Native American banker named Johnny Eagle. With the clock ticking, JW moves into a trailer on the reservation within sight of his prey. But as he befriends Eagle and his son, JW finds that his plan to reclaim his freedom will be more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.
Review
"Fans of Larry Watson and Louise Erdrich will enjoy the intricate plot, well-developed characters, and readers who are interested in mysteries with a Minnesota setting will want to try this edgy page-turner." Library Journal
Review
"With precise writing and a storytellers eye for detail, it's hard to believe this is Shawn Lawrence Otto's debut novel. Sins of Our Fathers is a fine depiction of how all the best intentions can and do go very, very wrong. A magnificent debut." Urban Waite, author of The Terror of Living
Review
Believable characters and a strong sense of place mark this tale of risk and redemption.” Booklist
Review
In Sins of Our Fathers, screenwriter-turned-novelist Shawn Lawrence Otto has pushed his perfectly crafted characters to their limits. The result is a literary tour de force and a psychological thriller that hooked me from the first page and carried me through to its stunning conclusion.” Joel Surnow, creator of 24
Review
"Excellent writing and dynamic characters make this novel a page turner that stands above the rest." Robert Alexander, author of The Kitchen Boy
Review
"Banking issues, as well as stereotyping and generalization, are longstanding problems in Indian country. As I read Sins of Our Fathers, I imagined many of the scenes vividly, because many Native people have lived them. It is almost as if instead of writing a novel, Shawn Lawrence Otto has managed to capture a true story that is often repeated in different forms. I love this novel.” Sidra Starkovich, Bois Forte Tribal Planning and Community Development Officer
Synopsis
J. W., a small-town banker, has just been caught stealing to support his gambling addiction. He is on the verge of losing his family when his boss gives him one chance to make amends: sabotage the creation of a competing, Native American-owned bank. J. W.'s mark is the favorite son of the local reservation, Johnny Eagle. Eagle knows the odds are stacked against him, but the bank's success is all he has left. When J. W. moves onto the reservation, he forms an unexpected bond with Eagle's delinquent son a relationship that gives him both the access to do Eagle in and hesitation about the plot. A suspenseful, eloquent dive into small-town life that reveals the insidious impact of institutional racism, Sins of Our Fathers presents a story of economic struggle, the moral and spiritual deprivation it produces, and the possibility of redemption we each hold within our grasp.
Synopsis
From the screenwriter of the Oscar-nominated House of Sand and Fog, a fierce, elegant, page-turning novel about race, money, and the American Dream
***Finalist for the 2015 Los Angeles Times Book Prize***
Sins of Our Fathers follows small-town banker J.W., who has been caught embezzling funds to support his gambling addiction. J.W. is on the verge of losing everything when his boss offers him a scoundrel's path to redemption: sabotage a competing, Native banker named Johnny Eagle.
A single father, Eagle recently returned to the reservation, leaving a high-powered job in the hope of simultaneously empowering his community and saving his troubled son.
When J.W. moves onto the reservation and begins to work his way close to Eagle, hundreds of years of racial animosities rise to the surface, inexorably driving the characters toward a Shakespearean and shattering conclusion.
About the Author
Shawn Lawrence Otto is the writer and co-producer of the Oscar-nominated film House of Sand and Fog. He also writes for top studios like DreamWorks and Lions Gate. His nonfiction has appeared in Rolling Stone, Science, and Salon, among other publications. He lives in Minneapolis, MN.