A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water is a novel written by Michael Dorris and published in 1987. It is written from the viewpoints of three people, Rayona, Christine, and Aunt Ida, exchanging viewpoints between different sections of the book.

Plot summary

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water follows a young woman named Rayona, her birth mother Christine, and Christine's adoptive mother Aunt Ida. The novel begins with Rayona playing cards with Christine in the hospital, when Rayona's African American father Elgin visits, angering Christine. Christine leaves the hospital with Rayona, threatening suicide at the spot where Rayona was conceived. Christine eventually leaves Rayona with Aunt Ida, where over time, Rayona begins to learn about herself and where she came from. Rayona eventually runs away and lives with a family at Bear Paw Lake until she returns to Aunt Ida.

Characters in "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water"

• Rayona Diane Taylor – a main protagonist; daughter of Christine and Elgin
• Christine George Taylor – a main protagonist; mother of Rayona
• Aunt Ida George – a main protagonist; legal mother of Christine
• Elgin Taylor – Christine's (separated) husband; Rayona's father
• Lee George – Christine's brother
• Dayton Nickles – Lee's friend
• Father Hurlburt – priest at the reservation mission; Ida's close friend
• Father Tom Novak – assistant priest at the reservation mission. Pedophile.
• Pauline George Cree – Ida's sister
• Dale Cree – Pauline's husband; Foxy's father
• Polly Cree – Dale's mother
• Buster Cree – Dale's father
• Willard Pretty Dog – a reservation man and veteran; biological father of Lee
• Mrs. Pretty Dog – Willard's mother
• Kennedy "Foxy" Cree – Rayona's cousin; son of Pauline
• Annabelle Stiffarm – Foxy's girlfriend
• Clara – Annie's sister; Christine's biological mother
• Annie George – Ida and Pauline's mother; Lecon's wife
• Lecon George – Ida, Pauline, and Christine's father; Annie's husband
• Ellen DeMarco – lifeguard at Bearpaw Lake
• Mr. and Mrs. DeMarco – Ellen's parents
• Norman "Sky" Dial – owner of the Conoco gas station near Bearpaw Lake
• Evelyn Dial – chef at Bearpaw Lake; wife of Sky
• Charlene – Seattle pharmacist; Christine's friend and neighbor
• Mr. McCutcheon – Bearpaw Lake maintenance supervisor
• John, Andy, and Dave – other Bearpaw Lake employees

References

External links

• SparkNotes