The characters of Moccasin Square Gardens inhabit Denendeh, the land
of the people north of the sixtieth parallel. These stories are filled
with in-laws, outlaws and common-laws. Get ready for illegal wrestling
moves ("The Camel Clutch"), pinky promises, a doctored casino,
extraterrestrials or "Sky People," love, lust and prayers for peace.
While this is Van Camp's most hilarious short story collection, it's
also haunted by the lurking presence of the Wheetago, human-devouring
monsters of legend that have returned due to global warming and the
greed of humanity. The stories in Moccasin Square Gardens show that
medicine power always comes with a price.
To counteract this darkness, Van Camp weaves a funny and loving
portrayal of the Tlı̨chǫ Dene and other communities of the North, drawing
from oral history techniques to perfectly capture the character and
texture of everyday small-town life. "Moccasin Square Gardens" is the
nickname of a dance hall in the town of Fort Smith that serves as a
meeting place for a small but diverse community. In the same way, the
collection functions as a meeting place for an assortment of characters,
from shamans and time-travelling goddess warriors to
pop-culture-obsessed pencil pushers, to con artists, archivists and men
who just need to grow up, all seeking some form of connection.
