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A review by robk
War Dances by Sherman Alexie
3.0
War Dances is a collection of poems and short stories by Sherman Alexie, author of the national book award winning young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Prior to reading this, I had only read Alexie’s YA books, the aforementioned Diary and Flight, and a chapter of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, possibly the best titled book in history and a book I plan on returning to eventually. After reading this collection, which was written for adults, I think I prefer his young adult writing more. His YA stuff is entertaining, fun, tightly crafted, and contains just the right amount of philosophy. This book seemed all over the place, both in content and in quality. I won’t bother to recount every detail in this review, but here are my thoughts on a few of the works in this collection:
Breaking and Entering:
Really not sure how I feel about this one. I liked it, but I feel like he was just trying too hard. The story is about a man who inadvertently kills a young black man who broke into his house and robbed him. Throughout the story, the man recounts the events and wonders if things could have happened differently. It was a fine enough premise, but Alexie threw in some quotes that felt a little forced, almost like he was trying to have someone quote him in the future. So, I guess I will quote him. Take the following for example: “It's not oil that runs the world, it's shame.” Or this little nugget: “Pain is never added to pain. It multiplies.” (Ps: he goes on to quote himself saying this in a later story.) Both of these banal and platitudinous observations seem almost randomly inserted in the narrative in an attempt to lend it some gravitas or depth. Furthermore, the narrator tells us a hundred times how freaky his circumstances are, but then says something like, “Nothing happened of course. nothing ever happens, you know. Life is infinitesimal and incremental and inconsequential.” Really? Did you forget what you’ve been talking about for almost the entire story? I don’t know.
"Go, Ghost, Go"
Great perspective on the irony of a white man who likes the “ghost dance.” You see a similar idea more thoroughly explored in Flight.
Bird-watching at Night
Awesomely written vignette about a man who, while driving with his girlfriend, narrowly misses an owl. Short, but, like, you know, deep and stuff.
The Senator's Son
This is one of the stronger pieces in the book, I think. It deals with a lot of important issues regarding class, politics, homophobia, and friendship.
The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless
This story was quite good. Worth reading for sure. This story centers around an adulterous, middle-aged hipster who struggles to make meaningful connections with his family. He basks in his own loneliness and eventually spirals into madness.
Overall, the book is a good, quick read. Nothing too powerful or life-changing, but some good thought provoking material. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author.
Breaking and Entering:
Really not sure how I feel about this one. I liked it, but I feel like he was just trying too hard. The story is about a man who inadvertently kills a young black man who broke into his house and robbed him. Throughout the story, the man recounts the events and wonders if things could have happened differently. It was a fine enough premise, but Alexie threw in some quotes that felt a little forced, almost like he was trying to have someone quote him in the future. So, I guess I will quote him. Take the following for example: “It's not oil that runs the world, it's shame.” Or this little nugget: “Pain is never added to pain. It multiplies.” (Ps: he goes on to quote himself saying this in a later story.) Both of these banal and platitudinous observations seem almost randomly inserted in the narrative in an attempt to lend it some gravitas or depth. Furthermore, the narrator tells us a hundred times how freaky his circumstances are, but then says something like, “Nothing happened of course. nothing ever happens, you know. Life is infinitesimal and incremental and inconsequential.” Really? Did you forget what you’ve been talking about for almost the entire story? I don’t know.
"Go, Ghost, Go"
Great perspective on the irony of a white man who likes the “ghost dance.” You see a similar idea more thoroughly explored in Flight.
Bird-watching at Night
Awesomely written vignette about a man who, while driving with his girlfriend, narrowly misses an owl. Short, but, like, you know, deep and stuff.
The Senator's Son
This is one of the stronger pieces in the book, I think. It deals with a lot of important issues regarding class, politics, homophobia, and friendship.
The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless
This story was quite good. Worth reading for sure. This story centers around an adulterous, middle-aged hipster who struggles to make meaningful connections with his family. He basks in his own loneliness and eventually spirals into madness.
Overall, the book is a good, quick read. Nothing too powerful or life-changing, but some good thought provoking material. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author.