Hand Trembler — Gerald Hausman

Hand Trembler is about one man's emergence through Native rituals as he travels through the mythical underworlds of the Navajo. Actual Hand Tremblers, though few exist today, do live on the Navajo reservation and they still perform their ancient art of divination: finding the cause of illness, lost objects and even missing people. The narrator is a hand trembling diviner whose particular art involves shapeshifting. This dangerous skill leaves him trapped between worlds and shifting identities while being hunted by a brutal extra-terrestrial enemy. As the novel progresses, the narrator encounters his long lost friend Etienne, the French/Filipino healer; Joogii, the mind reading Navajo artist and mythologist; and Al-lan, the star traveller. In a series of amusing and suspenseful misadventures, the author takes us on a spin through the intricate cosmology of the Navajo, giving us yet another close look at the deities who inform this mysterious and beautiful culture.

“The eccentricity, lunacy, magic, and malevolence that lurk beneath the surface... The memorable characters, out-of-sequence narrative, and cockeyed viewpoint.” -- The Horn Book

“Ghosts, demons, fearsome predators, and wise old men who take the innocent in hand -- fantasy and fable, humor and heart.”

-- Not Since Mark Twain: Stories, Stay Thirsty Press

“Hausman honors Native American philosophy and spirituality even as he reveals it.” -- Pat Monaghan Booklist