Stolen

Tanya Rogoschewsky is a librarian at Red Deer College in Red Deer,
Alberta.

Stolen chronicles the life of Rowan Friesen, a small-time drug dealer
and thief who is living at the margins of society in rural Saskatchewan
just outside of Saskatoon.

The novel’s plot is tenuous at best. The storyline meanders back and
forth through time, providing readers with disconnected glimpses of the
events and people that have shaped Rowan’s life. Stolen is a novel of
location and character far more than plot. Where Lapointe shines is in
her ability to evoke rural Saskatchewan, with its Mennonite families,
gravel grid roads, powwow season, pawn shops, hockey obsession, bush
parties, and high-school kids on meth.

Lapointe’s descriptions aren’t always flattering (Saskatoon is
described as “a small town with an ego and a symphony orchestra,”
for example), but most Saskatchewan residents would reluctantly
acknowledge the accuracy of her portrayal. Readers in general will
regret that she did not produce a stronger, more dynamic storyline to
accompany her intriguing descriptions and characters.