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A review by thebookishfeminist
Land-Water-Sky / Ndè-Tı-Yat'a by Katłıà
5.0
Katłıà has written a really impressive book with Land-Water-Sky. It’s set in a remote territory of what’s currently known as Canada, where we travel through numerous different stories. They all feature spirits that walk among the living and there is a very prominent sense that we are gaining insights into a post-colonial and pre-colonial world that might still exist if things had happened differently. I also think Katłıà does a really remarkable of showing us the effects of colonialism on the land, on families and intergenerational traumas, and on the connections Indigenous folx have to their own traditions and futures.
The spirits are sometimes really powerful and could read as either harmful or protective. I think the narrative does pull together in the last quarter or third, but I will admit that for the first half or so of the book, I struggled to keep track of time and space. I completely acknowledge why Katłıà arranged the book this way, but for some reason I *personally* had a hard time keeping everything straight as we went from chapter to chapter. Despite that - which I think is completely my own preference and shortcoming - this debut novel is haunting and the implicit depictions of alternate realities and Indigenous futurisms is so valuable. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this! For that reason, and because I am not from within the author’s community, I’m not docking stars from this; I know this book wasn’t written for me and I’m not well-versed enough in the oral histories and traditions of Katłıà‘s community to know whether the arrangement and portrayal of these stories is rooted in meaningful elements of culture.
I am excited for more people to read this and am looking forward to reading other readers’ reflections! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy.
The spirits are sometimes really powerful and could read as either harmful or protective. I think the narrative does pull together in the last quarter or third, but I will admit that for the first half or so of the book, I struggled to keep track of time and space. I completely acknowledge why Katłıà arranged the book this way, but for some reason I *personally* had a hard time keeping everything straight as we went from chapter to chapter. Despite that - which I think is completely my own preference and shortcoming - this debut novel is haunting and the implicit depictions of alternate realities and Indigenous futurisms is so valuable. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this! For that reason, and because I am not from within the author’s community, I’m not docking stars from this; I know this book wasn’t written for me and I’m not well-versed enough in the oral histories and traditions of Katłıà‘s community to know whether the arrangement and portrayal of these stories is rooted in meaningful elements of culture.
I am excited for more people to read this and am looking forward to reading other readers’ reflections! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy.