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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
A quiet, unrelenting intensity persists through the entire book.
Another thank you to Javier. I wrote my college thesis on the book. I got a D. I finally met Sherman, and was dumb enough to tell him that. At least I got him to laugh.
This was pretty good! The only thing I wasn't too sure about was the ending - why did
Spoiler
Marie continue to insist that John Smith wasn't the killer, despite all the evidence they had on him? She seemed pretty on point about everything else, so it was weird that she was so completely in the wrong here. Especially since she had wondered about him earlier.
Couldn't finish it. I was somewhere around 50 or 60 pages in. The writing style was stunted and strange, and I found the book to be the opposite of what was promised to me ("a page turner"), I had to make myself pick it up.
I picked up Indian Killer at the library because I'm on a Sherman Alexie kick and this was the only book of his available. Being a psychological thriller about murder, it's not exactly the type of book I normally read. I was a bit apprehensive as I started reading, afraid I'd get nightmares or something, but the book quickly drew me in.
Indian Killer explores themes of identity and isolation across whites and Native Americans. There's the Indian man, adopted by white parents, who longs to be a "real" Indian. There's the white man who, as an orphaned child, convinced himself he was a "real" Indian and never let go of the idea. There's the half-white, half-Indian man who self-identifies as an Indian, but whose white father tried to beat the "hostile Indian" out of him as a child. There's the Indian woman, raised on a reservation but now in college, who is fiercely proud of her heritage, yet feels separated from her people because she's become a well-educated urban Indian. There's the white man who romanticizes the idea of Indians and considers himself an expert on Indians. And finally, there's the white man who feels a sense of guilt over the injustices Indians have suffered at the white man's hand.
This book lacked the wit and lyricism of the other Sherman Alexie books I've read, but I guess the genre didn't exactly call for it, either. As in his other books, the dialogue is powerful. It's well-written, and delves into the minds of many more characters than I would have expected, though I'm not sure I understood everyone's motivation. It ties up some loose ends I didn't even think would be tied, yet leaves a gaping hole where I felt sure I would be given answers.
Indian Killer explores themes of identity and isolation across whites and Native Americans. There's the Indian man, adopted by white parents, who longs to be a "real" Indian. There's the white man who, as an orphaned child, convinced himself he was a "real" Indian and never let go of the idea. There's the half-white, half-Indian man who self-identifies as an Indian, but whose white father tried to beat the "hostile Indian" out of him as a child. There's the Indian woman, raised on a reservation but now in college, who is fiercely proud of her heritage, yet feels separated from her people because she's become a well-educated urban Indian. There's the white man who romanticizes the idea of Indians and considers himself an expert on Indians. And finally, there's the white man who feels a sense of guilt over the injustices Indians have suffered at the white man's hand.
This book lacked the wit and lyricism of the other Sherman Alexie books I've read, but I guess the genre didn't exactly call for it, either. As in his other books, the dialogue is powerful. It's well-written, and delves into the minds of many more characters than I would have expected, though I'm not sure I understood everyone's motivation. It ties up some loose ends I didn't even think would be tied, yet leaves a gaping hole where I felt sure I would be given answers.
This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me. Good pacing, somewhat repetitive both in plot and theme. The story centers around a few key actors -- John Smith, a native American who was adopted by white parents and has some not-well-explained mental illness, Marie Polatnik, a feisty, compassionate student activist who grew up on a reservation, her cousin Reggie who was abused by his white dad, Truck, a radio personality that sounds like a Seattle Rush Limbaugh, Wilson and Dr Mathers(?), two white dudes who profit from exploiting native American history and culture. The central conflict of the novel is a serial killer, nicknamed the Indian Killer, who murders his victims with a knife and scalps them. Overall I think Alexie's short fiction (like Ten Little Indians) is stronger and more compelling.
You need to read everything Sherman Alexie has ever written right now. Go do it. NOW.
An interesting murder mystery set in Seattle. Characters include John Smith, an Indian adopted and raised by a white family, a racist radio host, and an Indian activist named Maria.
My first book by Sherman Alexie and he did not disappoint. This is so good. Fascinating exploration of race and class in Seattle based on a fictional serial killer who the media dubs the Indian killer. Also explores issues of mental health, poverty, and culture. The characters were well developed and interesting. The plot moved along quickly, and the writing was great.
It started great but then I got confused by where it was going. I couldn't figure out the point of the plot and then my time with it was over. Library overdue. Will probably try to check it out again at a later time. I might have better luck on the reread.