Chris Horn in Sisters of the Lost Nation: Character Analysis

Overview

Chris Horn is Anna's father in Nick Medina's Sisters of the Lost Nation. He works as the reservation's undertaker, preparing the dead for burial, and he appears in the novel as a gruff, pragmatic family man who pushes his daughter toward the tribal council even when she resists. The novel shows him as a provider who uses his casino proceeds to improve the family's situation, a father who teaches his son to shoot, and a man with a dark sense of humor about his work. By the epilogue, set on Day 433, Anna walks from her mother's place to her father's, indicating that Chris and Dorothy are no longer living together by the story's end.

For a broader view of the novel's structure and resolution, see the ending explained page.

Plot Role

Chris's direct appearances are limited, but his influence runs through the narrative. He's the catalyst for Anna's preservation society idea—the question she asks him about why the tribe lacks a dedicated space for its stories and artifacts becomes a commitment to speak at the tribal council meeting. He's also a reference point for Anna's character: she wears his old clothes and boots, and she models her work ethic on his example. His work as an undertaker connects the novel's domestic scenes to its larger engagement with death, grief, and the treatment of the dead.

Motivations and Traits

Chris's motivations are shown primarily through his actions rather than interiority. The text shows him as:

Pragmatic and action-oriented: When Anna mentions her idea about a preservation society, Chris immediately contacts Eaton Ballard, the tribal chairman, and arranges for Anna to speak at the next monthly meeting. He tells her that when there's a good idea, things get done.
Proud: The page context describes him as struggling with family tensions and his own pride. His insistence that Anna follow through on the council meeting, even after she tells him she doesn't want to do it, suggests a man who believes in commitment and follow-through.
Comfortable with death: His work tending to the dead is described as something he's tight-lipped and respectful about on the job, but he amuses himself at home by sharing gory details—joking that the broccoli smells worse than when they found George Saucier, who'd been dead a week before being discovered.
A provider: Anna is determined to follow her father's example, since he used his proceeds from the casino to better their situation at home.
Traditional in his family role: At dinner, he takes his usual seat and says he's thirsty, with the implication that his glass should already be full. He teaches Robbie to shoot, calling him the next Davy Crockett.

Interpretation: Chris's gruffness at the dinner table—his jokes about death, his expectation of service—suggests a man who carries the weight of his work heavily and uses humor to process it. His push for Anna to speak at the council could be read as pride in his daughter's intelligence, or as a father who sees an opportunity for the family to matter in tribal politics.

Chronological Arc

Chris's presence in the novel spans from the opening domestic scenes to the epilogue:

Day 1: The family dinner scene establishes Chris as a loud, joking presence. He pushes Anna about the tribal council meeting, teaches Robbie to shoot, and reacts to the homecoming king prank with a warning that what goes around comes around.
Day 9: Anna is shown wearing her father's old clothes and his boots, which Grace identifies as a reason she's teased at school.
Day 24: Anna's work ethic is framed as following her father's example.
Day 36: Anna reflects on her father's respect for the process of preparing the dead for their journey from this realm to the next.
Day 433 (Epilogue): Anna walks from her mother's place to her father's, indicating the parents are separated. The cause of the separation isn't shown directly, but the page context points to family tensions and Chris's pride.

Relationships

With Anna: Chris believes in Anna's idea even when she doesn't. He arranges the tribal council meeting against her wishes, telling her she's onto something. Anna, for her part, respects his work ethic and wears his clothes. The relationship is marked by a certain mutual stubbornness—he pushes, she resists, but there's underlying respect.

With Grace: Less directly shown. At the dinner table, he reacts to Grace's teasing of Anna about the homecoming king prank, and he's present when Grace reveals the news. The page context suggests he later shows grief over Grace's disappearance, though the novel doesn't show this directly in the available evidence.

With Robbie: He's actively mentoring Robbie, teaching him to shoot and praising his aim. The rifle that Robbie carries at dinner becomes a point of tension with Dorothy, who asks him to leave it outside.

With Dorothy: At the start, they're a married couple sharing a household. By the epilogue, they're living separately. The reasons aren't shown directly, but the page context points to family tensions.

With Gran: She lives with the family and is present at dinner. Chris doesn't interact with her much in the available scenes, but the household includes her.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Pushing Anna to speak at the tribal council: Chris's decision to contact Eaton Ballard and commit Anna to the meeting, despite her protests, sets in motion the preservation society idea. By the epilogue, this has grown into the Takoda Cultural, Educational, and Resource Center—a complex that includes cultural and educational centers alongside addiction treatment, counseling, and crisis services.
His separation from Dorothy: The epilogue shows Anna walking between two separate homes. While the cause isn't shown, the page context attributes it to family tensions and Chris's pride.
His example of hard work: Anna's determination to follow her father's example shapes her approach to her housekeeping job and, by extension, her broader sense of responsibility.

Themes and Symbols

Chris connects to several of the novel's central themes:

Cultural preservation vs. economic development: Chris's support of Anna's preservation idea places him on the side of cultural preservation, even as the tribe's economy depends on the casino and resort. This connects to the novel's exploration of cultural preservation vs. economic development.
Family bonds and sibling loyalty: As the father of Anna, Grace, and Robbie, Chris anchors the family unit that the novel explores. His separation from Dorothy by the epilogue complicates the theme of family bonds and sibling loyalty.
Death and the dead: Chris's work as an undertaker connects the domestic story to the novel's larger engagement with death—the rolling head legend, the missing women, and the treatment of bodies. Anna's respect for his process of preparing the dead links his profession to the novel's spiritual concerns.
Missing and murdered Indigenous women: Chris's grief over Grace's disappearance, noted in the page context, connects his character to the novel's central theme of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Discussion Questions

1. Why does Chris push Anna to speak at the tribal council meeting even after she tells him not to?

Chris believes Anna's idea has value and tells her that when there's a good idea, things get done. He's already committed her by telling Eaton Ballard she'll be there, and he frames the meeting as an opportunity for her to share what she told him about the stories and the past.

2. How does Chris's work as an undertaker shape his character?

He's described as tight-lipped and respectful on the job but shares gory details at home, joking about George Saucier's body. Anna respects his process of preparing the dead for their journey from this realm to the next, suggesting his work carries spiritual weight for the family.

3. What does Anna's choice to wear her father's clothes suggest about their relationship?

Anna wears her father's old clothes and his boots, which Grace says is a reason she's teased at school. It suggests Anna identifies with her father's practicality and rejects conventional femininity, and it shows a closeness to Chris that she doesn't have with her mother.

4. How does the family change by the epilogue?

Anna walks from her mother's place to her father's, indicating Chris and Dorothy are living separately by Day 433. The cause isn't shown directly, but the page context points to family tensions and Chris's pride.

5. What role does Chris play in Anna's preservation society idea?

He's the catalyst. Anna's question about why the tribe doesn't have a preservation society becomes, through Chris's intervention, a commitment to speak at the tribal council. This eventually leads to the Takoda Cultural, Educational, and Resource Center in the epilogue.

For more on the novel's broader themes and questions, see the main book page and the questions and answers section.