Abel is a native American who returns home from war only to find that he has lost his place in the world. Abel is an American Indian drafted to fight in World War II. His experiences at war leave him emotionally broken and he returns to his reservation a different man than he left. He arrives so drunk that he doesn't recognize the grandfather who raised him, now older and missing a leg. His grandfather, Francisco, taught Abel as a child to live life in harmony with the natural world, a state of mind he calls "a house made of dawn". Now he sees that Abel has left this path.
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Abel finds work chopping wood for Angela, a wealthy white woman who has come to the reservation to bathe in its natural springs. She seduces him and grows to like him, suggesting that he leave the reservation to find better work. Abel is preparing to do just that when one day he is beaten in a horse race by an albino from a neighboring tribe. In his anger and drunken confusion, Abel chalks his defeat up to witchcraft and kills the albino. He is apprehended and thrown in jail.
Seven years pass. Abel is released from his prison in Los Angeles. He takes up with a group of Indian veterans he meets. A local reverend works with him, but deems him unable to fit himself to modern society. He befriends a man named Ben who lets Abel move in with him. One day brooding drunk on a beach, Abel is beaten horribly by a police officer. He is able to drag himself to Ben's apartment.
Ben sends Abel back to his home at the reservation by train. Ben goes on to tell the story of Abel's time in the city. He can't hold a job because of near-constant drunkenness. He fights and steals and is always trying to borrow Ben's money. Days after he is beaten by the police officer, Abel tries to exact revenge, but the cop just beats him again, even more severely. Ben kicks Abel out of the apartment and sends him on his way. When he returns to the reservation, Abel cares for his dying grandfather who uses his last days to reinitiate Abel into the traditions of their people. Abel buries his grandfather and finds himself whole and connected within the house made of dawn the old man told him about.
Best part of story, including ending:
It was a very compassionate and believable portrayal of the kind of person a lot of us normally avoid, the emotionally disturbed addict.
Best scene in story:
The scenes where others see the good in Abel and help pull it out. Specifically, his grandfather's wisdom was wonderful.
Opinion about the main character:
I like that Abel's core character emerged unscathed after years of hurt and trauma.
