The Strait: Obenabi’s Songs

Obenabi, the narrator, sings the story of his people confronting the European Invader. The tales are personal, emerging from the remembered experiences of his grandmothers. These dramas of conflict, commerce, domestication, heroism, exchange and love are set in the Great Lakes region of North America. Most take place in splendid natural surroundings within walking distance of the Strait (now Detroit, Michigan).

Perman's posthumous novel is a wide-ranging imaginative account of history. Narrator Obenabi records in 1840 the histories of his ancient and recent grandmothers. Set in the North American woodlands, these tales begin before the Invader's arrival and trace how his Progress imposed - both insidiously and brutally - devastation on Obenabi's kin.