Night of the Living Rez Summary
Morgan Talty

Night of the Living Rez Overview

Empathetic and sweeping, Morgan Talty’s Night of the Living Rez is a collection of linked short stories exploring the lives of several Penobscot Natives as they navigate their fragile bonds in the face of systemic obstacles such as substance abuse and poverty. Set primarily on a Penobscot reservation in the state of Maine, Night of the Living Rez seeks to engender sympathy and understanding for its narrator, David, and the fraught, complex people who move in and out of his life. Told in discrete stories from David's perspective, the collection strives to understand the root of its characters’ suffering and find forgiveness for behaviors that spring from trauma.  It explores themes of race, addiction, coming-of-age, generational trauma, and the preservation of tradition and folklore.