Well, I enjoyed the writing very much - very finely crafted for the age the novel is set. The historical fiction was brutal and at times I didn't want to press on further. The gay love story is understated and drawn in outline really, but it works for the kind of novel this is.
At one point towards the end, one character wonders "Am I American?", which prompted me to think about the book as a kind of exploration in the making of America, seen through the various characters - how the landscape shapes character, and how interactions with First Nations unfold on, what we now know, is a miserable and desiccated understanding. There's a bit to unpack in the novel.
Enjoyable.