Not going to lie, I have an obsession with True Crime. This is the story of the 1993 murder of 2 sisters in the Northernmost point of Alaska. Their bodies were discovered in one of the sisters' homes. The bodies appeared to have been moved and a sexual assault seemed to have occurred. Ms. Stevens, one of the local Public Defenders, was assigned to represent one of the main suspects in the case. Her legal journey with him forms a bulk of the basis of the memoir, although she recounts her life living in Alaska as well (which is also absolutely fascinating). As such, it is a penetrating, memorable and amazing memoir of her time in the Arctic Circle.
What I found most fascinating was the tension between the American justice system, which ensures rights to a defendant such as a jury trial, rights of confrontation and due process and rights to privacy whereas the Iñupiaq method is infinitely older and requires that the community be involved in determining the fate of the Accused. If the community determines that the Accused is guilty, then retribution could be swift and fatal. It could also include banishment to the tundra which is also fatal.
This is a tremendously skilled and intriguing narrative. Stevens does a wonderful job in weaving her own narrative of her time in Alaska with her job as a Public Defender there. I loved how she described her feelings towards representing her client as well as the location. I also enjoyed learning about the tension that existed between the two cultures and gained a deeper appreciation of indigenous culture as well as the struggles that pervade it. This was a fascinating, well paced and important book. Highly recommend.
No comments:
Post a Comment