Published to critical acclaim in 1994, Greg Sarris's short story collection, Grand Avenue, was heralded as "not only one of the very best works of fiction by and about Native Americans, it's one of the most important imaginative books of the year" (Michael Dorris, Los Angeles Times). Now, in his first novel, Sarris continues to explore the fragile ties that bind Native American families in their struggles for freedom and dignity.Told from the points of view of Johnny Severe, his grandmother, Elba, and his mother, Iris, Watermelon Nights reaches to the past and toward the future to uncover the secrets behind each character's extraordinary powers of perception. When eighteen-year-old Johnny contemplates leaving home for the big city, he discovers there's more than his floundering used-clothing store keeping him where he is. We learn how the tragic events of his grandmother's childhood, as well as his mother's attempts to separate herself from her Indian past, make Johnny's dilemma all the more difficult.Gritty yet rich in detail and emotion, Watermelon Nights confirms Greg Sarris as an important voice in contemporary American lite.