Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.
Everyone found The Round House interesting, especially the setting, which takes place mainly on an Indian reservation in North Dakota. It is very much a coming-of-age story about Joe, a 13-year-old boy whose mother is attacked and kidnapped and then narrowly escapes being burned to death by an unknown assailant. Joe becomes determined to uncover the man who has traumatized his mother and wreaked such havoc on his family. Joe was determined to find a way "To return to the Before."
The discussion centered around the idea of culture, how living on a reservation might help or harm preservation of a tribe's culture and whether or not preserving one's culture is an individual or government responsibility. The members were divided on whether or not there should be reservations in America today. Members also discussed the dual justice system on the reservation and how that impacted Joe's decisions in his search for justice and his view of his father, a tribal judge. Most said that they would recommend this book to others, especially those interested in Indian life today.
Several members enjoyed the other characters in Erdrich's novel and one member said she got such a kick out the "those rascally boys." But another member, after the meeting, objected to the offensive language in the novel which is, at times, very coarse.
