The Buffalo Soldier

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Alison Fraser

From the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Midwives and Trans-Sister Radio comes a hauntingly beautiful story of the ties that bind families—and the strains that pull them apart.


In northern Vermont, a raging river overflows its banks and sweeps the nine-year-old twin daughters of Terry and Laura Sheldon to their deaths. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the highway patrolman and his wife, unable to have more children, take in a foster child: a ten-year-old African-American boy who has been shuttled for years between foster families and group homes. Young Alfred cautiously enters the Sheldon family circle, barely willing to hope that he might find a permanent home among these kind people still distracted by grief.

Across the street from the Sheldons live an older couple who take Alfred under their wing, and it is they who introduce him to the history of the buffalo soldiers—African-American cavalry troopers whose reputation for integrity, honor, and personal responsibility inspires the child.

Before life has a chance to settle down, however, Terry, who has never been unfaithful to Laura, finds himself attracted to the solace offered by another woman. Their encounter, brief as it is, leaves her pregnant with his baby—a child Terry suddenly realizes he urgently wants.

From these fitful lives emerges a lyrical and richly textured story, one that explores the meaning of marriage, the bonds between parents and children, and the relationships that cause a community to become a family. But The Buffalo Soldier is also a tale of breathtaking power and profound moral complexity—and exactly the sort of novel readers have come to expect from Chris Bohjalian.©2002 Chris Bohjalian; (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

“In The Buffalo Soldier, Bohjalian proves once again that he's a master novelist.” —The Boston Globe

“Bohjalian plunges [his characters] into a dramatic situation so powerful that even their quiet voices cannot fail to be heard. . . .The Buffalo Soldier is imbued with hope and the possibility for redemption.” —The Washington Post

“Bohjalian gives us fine-grained detail and beautifully observed domestic psychology.” —The Los Angeles Times

“Beautifully wrought. . . . A moving account of personal strength and the joy of belonging.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“If it's captivating literature you're after, The Buffalo Soldier earns a solid A.” —Entertainment Weekly

Touching, and Sincere

After reading Bohjalian's Trans-sister Radio, I approached Buffalo Soldier with high expectations. While vastly different in subject matter, this book shares the lyricism, and freshness that creates memorable characters and situations out of everyday life.

We follow Laura and Terry through the loss of their twin daughters, as they move through their grief; fighting to stay together when they are too damaged to continuing loving. And at times, it seems so much easier to cut their losses, and move on.

Particularly touching, is Bohjalian's unromantic depiction of Alfred, a young foster child struggling to create a family of his own, and to win a place in the hearts of two broken, flawed adults.

Written with a sure hand, you will weep, rage, and rant with, (and sometimes, at) the characters. The journey is strong, but the resolution seems strangely too easy- wrongs too easily forgiven, and forgot, though perhaps with all the preceeding turmoil, the characters have earned a break.

The story is well narrated, bringing small-town Vermont and its inhabitants to poignant life.

I loved it!

I always enjoy Bohjalian's book - so far, no exception! The characters are complex, interesting, and facing difficult complications in their lives.

The Buffalo Soldier

What a wonderful book. Sometimes, in listening to it, I could hardly breathe waiting for what happened next. There is an edge of tragedy here, starting with the real tragedy of the death of twin girls. Death, renewal, the way families are formed and changed, marriage and love affairs - this book tackles large ideas. On top of that, one of the main characterw, a foster child, is a child of color, and that is handled especially gracefully, with a focus on him as a person, not as an icon of his race.

I liked the characters very much - they seemed real and the way they dealt with life rang surprisingly true to me. The only thing I didn't like was the narrator's cloying and breathy voice. She often trails off as she reaches the end of a sentence, in an annoying way. Her voice seemed wrong for this book.

The thought lines of a foster child

Aside from the interesting description of how a foster child may think, the plot line was rather formulaic. I did not like the readers voice. 

good story

One of this author's gifts is the ability to get right inside the head of his characters. For instance, how it really feels to be a black kid in a white rural community. A really good fast paced story that explores different kinds of relationships. I recommend this book.