A review by mrspenningalovesbooks
People of the Whale by Linda Hogan

4.0

I chose this book because of the 2022 Q2 prompt “Octopus” and I am so glad I read it! The euphonic diction reads almost like poetry, and the tone is incredibly peaceful and purposeful despite it circling topics like grief, war, betrayal, and decay. It not only shows the contrasts of the real war and peace amongst American Indians, but also the betrayal of ancestral traditions to American profit. Thomas & Ruth’s relationship before and after the Vietnam was is so powerful, seeing the drastic change in Thomas. I love the themes of loyalty and betrayal to allies, the natural world, and our creator. The element of truth and living our truth is strongly tied to serious consequences that occur in nature and to our quality of life. A drought occurs when a character is murdered and betrayed, and the parallel consequences to the earth and the people was really well done. I also loved the historical allusions to the soldiers who went with good intentions but faced impossible decisions of whether to listen to their commands or go against America and save women and children. The wall in Washington was an interesting symbol, shown in contrast to the wall Thomas built so he couldn’t see the light. Overall, it was really a tragic, beautiful story that reminds us that evil exists everywhere, and we must open our eyes to our own truth and live that life in gratitude to our creator and those we love.