Book Review: The Death of Jim Loney by James Welch

by Mariama Bah, age 18

Montana, 1979. The winters are long, the mountains are grand, and there are small towns galore. Within one of these small towns, specifically Harlem, lives Jim Loney, a lonely alcoholic struggling with his Native and White identity. This book is The Death of Jim Loney, written by James Welch.

I read this as part of my Ethnic Studies class at Madison College. In this class, we perused and discussed texts from a variety of backgrounds. Aside from Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rodgers, I have never read a narrative text about the Native American identity. In school, they always made sure that we understood our country’s troubling relationship with its Native peoples. Even in news articles, everything covered was related to a tragic event taking place. This book was an opportunity to understand Native American people through a different lens.

Every class period brought something new to gush about. The text was dense, having us sift through surreal topics and having us try to connect them. There were dramatic scenes that, as people who loved gossip, needed to be confronted. But beyond that, there were layers of nuance and symbolism that we questioned. While I noticed symbols like birds, death, dreams, and the “point of no return,” the story allowed for multiple interpretations and numerous themes. I especially enjoyed the cryptic dream sequences as a way to communicate Loney’s mental state throughout the book. It was important to read this book with a critical and nuanced point of view. Many problems in Loney’s life, even up to his own mental breakdown, can be traced to systemic issues in our world.

What made the book even more interesting was Welch, who was considered a leading figure within the Native American Renaissance. Similar to movements of the same name, the Renaissance refers to an increase in the production of art created by Native Americans in the late 1960s. Welch was born and raised in Montana within the Blackfeet and A’aninin cultures of his parents. It’s because of these experiences, along with living on reservations, that informed his writings. His place as a founding writer of the Renaissance was solidified by his earlier novel, Winter in the Blood. The book follows a young man living in Montana struggling with his identity, not unlike The Death of Jim Loney.

When you read the blurb, you gain a loose understanding of the book. The Death of Jim Loney is about a sad man, and that’s not completely wrong. However, once you read the book, you leave with a smattering of emotions – pity, compassion, and a wondering of how Welch was able to write scenes where anyone can feel like Loney.