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vanessatheecreative 's review for:
People of the Whale
by Linda Hogan
Linda Hogan has a writing style that is like the soft crashing of waves. It flows and is beautiful but will drag you into the cold depths at a whim. I think this writing style and time period blended together perfectly. There is no other way to describe both the harsh realities of being Native after colonization but the vietnam war. I’ve never before read Hogan’s work so I can’t speak to whether the story formed the style or if the style formed the story.
I did struggle with the “love story” of the novel. Ruth and Thomas are lovers, apparently since childhood, but feel disjointed to me. I think that’s the point as we can see the mutual caring and love but their stories don’t merge for a large portion of the novel. For Ruth it is still loving Jacob after he is presumed dead to loving him when he comes home. Even going so far as to love the child he spawned in Vietnam. While Thomas’s love is the distance he gives Ruth after being brought home. It was a familiar war time story but Hogan does it in a way that wasn’t cliche. I enjoyed this and might read it again but I want to continue through Hogan’s work because her writing style is just stunning.
I did struggle with the “love story” of the novel. Ruth and Thomas are lovers, apparently since childhood, but feel disjointed to me. I think that’s the point as we can see the mutual caring and love but their stories don’t merge for a large portion of the novel. For Ruth it is still loving Jacob after he is presumed dead to loving him when he comes home. Even going so far as to love the child he spawned in Vietnam. While Thomas’s love is the distance he gives Ruth after being brought home. It was a familiar war time story but Hogan does it in a way that wasn’t cliche. I enjoyed this and might read it again but I want to continue through Hogan’s work because her writing style is just stunning.