Spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women, A Council of Dolls is a haunting, luminous novel about survival, memory, and ancestral love. In 1961, young Sissy finds comfort—and maybe salvation—in whispered advice from her doll, Ethel. In 1925, Lillian clings to her fierce sister and her doll, Mae, as they endure the cruelty of an Indian boarding school. And in 1888, Cora is sent to be “civilized,” but when her treasured doll Winona is destroyed, she discovers that some spirits refuse to be silenced.
Told through the quiet power of dolls passed down through generations, Mona Susan Power’s long-awaited novel is a spellbinding testament to the resilience of Indigenous women. Longlisted for the National Book Award, it is devastating, redemptive, and unforgettable.
