Tracks is an interesting historical fiction book by author Louise Erdrich. As in many modern books, the author has taken the approach of having different views from different characters. In this case, there are the two characters Pauline and Nanapush who we get to see in perspective.
In the first chapter, we are introduced to Nanapush, and we meet his friend, Fleur. Nanapush rescued Fleur from a horrible winter storm when she was out in the cold, and just saves her from dying of tuberculosis. As the two characters start to see each other as family, Pauline is introduced into the novel as a shopper at a store that Fleur was at. We then see more of her perspective.
Pauline Puyat leaves the town of Argus, (where Nanapush and Fleur live) and starts to live with Barnadette Morrissey, a widow who is not described in great detail in the novel. Fleur falls in love with a man named Eli Kashpaw, and Pauline subsequently becomes jealous and starts to spend more time with both of them, acting as a sort of barrier. In a desperate attempt, she gives a 'lovers potion' to Eli, which just makes her seem like more of a pest to him. She starts to harm herself because she thinks that God wants her to (In truth, she is only doing this because she is not getting what she wants) and she begins to look insane in public opinion.
By the end of the novel, we see a distant but relating connection between the meaningful stories of both Nanapush and Pauline, both having love trouble and being regarded as oddities.
