The Mighty Red

The impact of large-scale economic forces and government policy on working- and middle-class individuals, particularly those in small communities, plays a key role in the novel. Although the novel contains a wayward love story, it also subtly engages with the financial crisis of 2008-2009. The characters in the small, isolated town are nonetheless subject to powerful economic forces beyond their control, with the novel focusing on the history of labor relations in the Red River Valley, the events of 2008, and US agricultural policy.

In the early chapters of the novel, Crystal and other characters listen to talk of a looming financial crisis on the radio. She hears reports of “massive bank failures and dismal Christmas retail” (39). Initially, the crash seems far off, a massive event that might not affect life in Tabor. However, Crystal soon feels the ripple effect of the crash. The town is already economically depressed, with much of its wealth concentrated in the hands of families like the Geists. Crystal, along with many other Indigenous workers and migrants from Latin America, have few economic opportunities and struggle to make ends meet. As the crash’s impact is felt, the town sinks further into recession. Crystal observes that shopping at “thrifty life was less embarrassing after 2008, it was just where people shopped” (119).