Inland: A Novel Kindle Edition

Inland is basically two separate stories that are slowly and methodically woven as they build and merge. Inland is historical fiction with a dose of magical realism playing a role in both central characters journey.In 1893, Nora has settled in the Arizona Territory. At the beginning of the book her husband has left home to meet a water delivery after an extended drought. He leaves her with her two older sons that help publish the town’s newspaper, a younger son who lost sight in an eye after an accident, a female cousin that speaks to the dead and a wheelchair bound mother-in-law. Nora also converses with the dead, her daughter that died years before. Lurie is a Turkish immigrant whose disastrous childhood leads him to a life as an outlaw, running from the law and eventually ending up with the United States Army Camel Corp. Lurie is also haunted by ghosts of past mistakes. Interestingly, Nora’s story basically takes place over one day, while Lurie’s spans years.Obreht’s lyrical and expansive prose are first rate. Her characters are sympathetic and well developed. Her descriptions of Arizona’s sweeping wilds are evocative with each character confronting this harsh reality in his or her own way. That being said, it was not always to my liking. For me it lacked focus, which hampered the flow of the beautiful imagery. It took awhile for the story to percolate and then it meandered with too much attention to details that did not always interest me. Very unusual for me…. If I put the book down for more than 2 days, I lost my place and needed to re-read. While I usually appreciate duel story lines, this time I had a strong preference for one over the other…..which diluted some of the intended impact of the ending. Both story lines really need to carry equal weight. Still, there is enough to recommend about Inland, a historical tale of life in the unforgiving old American West.

This novel is set in late nineteenth century Arizona Territory. There are a paltry number of instances in which Obreht's prose verges on poetry. The author leads the reader through the desiccated desert landscape and the difficulties of an arid lifestyle in that setting. These paltry instances are overshadowed by significant problems with the writing style of the novel. First, the events of the novel are repeated and overly described. Where was the editor with a sharpened pencil? Most of the chapters take at least an hour to complete. Less can be more and certainly the reader can grasp the setting and characters with more concise writing. Second, many words within the story are Spanish or Turkish. Some can be figured out from the context, but most definitions could not be found on the kindle dictionary. Why were these words used? The time frame of both of the main characters do not correspond. The life of Nora Lark, a pioneer wife, unfolds over a 24 hour period and Lourie Mattie, the other main character, is a Turkish orphan whose story flows from age 6 when he arrives in America to adulthood as a camel herder. When these two main characters meet in the final chapter, the encounter and its outcome make no sense at all. Fourth, both Nora and Lourie frequently have conversations with the dead. These conversations are two sided and ridiculous. Finally, nothing is resolved in the end about Nora's financial decision and the missing members of her family or why she has such a violent encounter with Lourie, whom she does not know at all. Nora's actions in the last chapter are out of character as the author has developed her thoughout the novel. Unfortunately, this book was a dense, difficult and disappointing read.

I grew up reading about the American West. I thrilled to the adventures of the cowboys and gunfighters and woodsmen and buckaroos, who, in my boyish fantasies, represented everything good about humankind: they were brave, strong, fearless, heroic, yet polite and good-hearted. My grandfather gave me a set of James Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking Tales" when I was 9 or 10 and I immediately began reading every page, often after my folks thought I was asleep. When I was old enough to go downtown and discover used book stores, I bought and read a couple dozen, at least, classics by Zane Grey. On the radio I listened to Tom Mix (played by an actor named Curly Bradley) and Hopalong Cassidy. Cowpokes were my heroes; my late Uncle Reuben, whom I knew only from a photo of him aboard a horse, with a bandolero strung across his chest and shoulders, was my idol.So, to make a much longer story short, and keeping in mind that I am an old man, just a few months shy of 80, let me say that as I read "Inland," by Téa Obreht, I was stunned to realize that the fabled Great American Novel about the Great American West was not only mostly about a woman, it was written by a woman! Let me assure you that this was an epiphany, a wonderful, amazing discovery for this reader!There's no point in reiterating the two tales told by narrators whose stories finally, at the end of "Inland," intersect. Let me instead say that Obreht is more than a magnificent writer; she is among the very best American writers! She thinks like a shaman, she visualizes her dusty corner of Arizona like the best of our poets, she considers the human condition like a philosopher and she paints a portrait of Nora -- mother, wife, toiler on the small, hard-scrabble spread she shares with her family -- equal to any character portrayal by any author I've read! Nora's husband and two older sons are missing, gone on mysterious errands. Nora is left at home with her small son, Toby, her aged mother-in-law, an addled niece who's smarter than anyone thinks, and the ghost of a daughter who died years earlier. Let me say that the West, in :"Inland," as no doubt in real life, is populated by ghosts. The other narrator of "Inland" sees the ghosts, although they do not see each other. After reading this novel you'll never again feel completely alone, no matter how far you may find yourself out in the woods or on the desert sands!Have I heaped enough praise on "Inland"? If not, assume I am still heaping it on. This is more than a fine book, it's the best novel I've read in years.

Wonderful book. I had previously read her other book, The Tiger's Wife, and loved that so when I saw that she had written another novel I preordered it and wasn't disappointed. Completely different from her first book but just as enjoyable and tells you things about mid nineteenth century America you don't see in the movies.

This is a long, hard read and there’s little reward for the effort. Two stories that sort of meet toward the end. One, a simple story of 19th century life in new territories and the other, a self-indulgently written introduction (for most of us) to the existence of the camel Corps and its duties. The spiritual and folkloric lives of many of the characters is explored over and over and over again. I found the prose meandering and repetitive. Not terrible but close!

Great interlinking storyline.

Terrible. Had to give up halfway through, just couldn't bring myself to waste any more time on this book.

It took a while to work out in which direction the book was taking me but gripped by the unusual prose I was, in the end, richly rewarded by this intriguing novel. Unique.