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A review by manonpalmer
Inland by Téa Obreht
3.0
Picture this: it is hot, all you can see is the desert around you, and you are soooo thirsty. You have had no water in three days and your whole throat hurts. This is what Nora feels like. The year is 1893, and she lives in Amargo, in the Arizona territory. Her husband has been gone for too long on his way to fetch water. Her two older sons are gone looking for their father. All she has left are an old lady, her youngest son Toby, her niece Josie, and her ghosts.
On the other hand, we have Lurie. He is Turkish, and an outlaw. His many adventures have left him with different wants: the wants of the ghosts he's seen along the way. So he roams the land with his fellow cameleers, going nowhere without the want for water or trinkets.
This is a story of the life inland. This remote America, far from any water, food or people, is being slowly annihilated by the likes of Merrion Crace and his big Stock Association. What does it take to survive in this desert? Aren't we all haunted by the ghosts of our past? Intertwining American history and fiction, Téa Obreht tries to answer these questions.
On my part, this is only a 3 star out of 5. The characters were supposed to be linked by destiny, and I did not find what I was really looking for, as it felt like reading two parallel stories that never crossed. Nora's character was very well developed, her inner thoughts, memories and feelings were passionating to read ; but I did not find the same depth in Lurie. I can't say the book was unpleasant to read, because it was quite alright. But this is sadly a book I'm most likely going to forget. For another American outlaw book, I'd recommend Outlawed by Anna North instead, as it had more depth to it. I wanted to be enthralled by it, but I couldn't find it in my heart to root for this book. On the other hand, the novel approaches the question of the transformation of America with an interesting perspective, along with themes of immigration, Native American people's place, and secrets.
You should read this if you enjoy: military history of the US, superstitions, cowboyish stories, relationships between animals and their riders, struggling characters.
On the other hand, we have Lurie. He is Turkish, and an outlaw. His many adventures have left him with different wants: the wants of the ghosts he's seen along the way. So he roams the land with his fellow cameleers, going nowhere without the want for water or trinkets.
This is a story of the life inland. This remote America, far from any water, food or people, is being slowly annihilated by the likes of Merrion Crace and his big Stock Association. What does it take to survive in this desert? Aren't we all haunted by the ghosts of our past? Intertwining American history and fiction, Téa Obreht tries to answer these questions.
On my part, this is only a 3 star out of 5. The characters were supposed to be linked by destiny, and I did not find what I was really looking for, as it felt like reading two parallel stories that never crossed. Nora's character was very well developed, her inner thoughts, memories and feelings were passionating to read ; but I did not find the same depth in Lurie. I can't say the book was unpleasant to read, because it was quite alright. But this is sadly a book I'm most likely going to forget. For another American outlaw book, I'd recommend Outlawed by Anna North instead, as it had more depth to it. I wanted to be enthralled by it, but I couldn't find it in my heart to root for this book. On the other hand, the novel approaches the question of the transformation of America with an interesting perspective, along with themes of immigration, Native American people's place, and secrets.
You should read this if you enjoy: military history of the US, superstitions, cowboyish stories, relationships between animals and their riders, struggling characters.