A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
1st US paperback edition
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| Author | Michael Dorris |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Henry Holt & Co |
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Publication date
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May 1987 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 343 pp (hardback edition) & 372 p. (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | (hardback edition) & (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 14519855 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3554.O695 Y4 1987 |
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water is the debut novel of author Michael Dorris, published in 1987. It tells the story of three generations of Native American women: Rayona, who is half African-American, her mother Christine, and Christine's mother Aunt Ida. The story is told in three distinct sections, one for each woman. Throughout the book, themes of family, identity, and heritage are highlighted and examined.
The novel begins with Rayona visiting her mother Christine in the hospital. Christine and Elgin, Rayona's father, do not get along, and Christine makes Elgin so angry that he refuses to come collect her from the hospital once she is discharged. Rayona and Christine drive to Aunt Ida's house on the reservation, where Christine leaves Rayona to get to know her grandmother. Rayona, angry at her mother, runs away and meets a priest of her school, Father Tom, and he takes her on a road trip, claiming to bring her to a retreat for teens. They stop at a park, where Father Tom molests Rayona. She gets shipped off to Seattle, by Father Tom, who puts the blame on her about the molestation, but Rayona still returns to work at Bear Paw State Park to work for a little while. Here, she meets workers Sky and Evelyn and stays with them for a bit before returning to the reservation. She rides in the local rodeo in the place of her cousin, who is drunk. The owner of the horse she rides turns out to be her mother's old boyfriend, Dayton, with whom Christine is staying. Although angry at first because Rayona left Aunt Ida's without leaving any information about her whereabouts, Christine eventually reconciles with her daughter.
The second section of the novel is Christine's story. Christine has a brother named Lee, who is the handsomest boy in town. Christine doubts that she and Lee have the same father, since Lee is gorgeous and Christine is not, but Aunt Ida won’t tell them. Christine and Lee aren’t allowed to call Aunt Ida “mom” because she tells them was never married and feels it’s not right. Christine is attracted to her brother's friend Dayton. During the Vietnam War, Christine receives mail from Dayton saying Lee is Missing In Action.
Christine, that night, is at a bar where she meets Elgin, a soldier who promises to bring Lee back. Christine thinks she has finally found love, especially at first sight, but it is lust at first sight. Elgin and Christine conceive Rayona in Tacoma, and they soon get married. Not able to have sex with Christine was taxing on Elgin, and he is gone most of the time, always in and out of Christine's life. She finally leaves and goes to the reservation.
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