Ratings17
Average rating3.8
"In the lawless, drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two extraordinary lives collide. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting the return of the men in her life--her husband, who has gone in search of water for the parched household, and her elder sons, who have vanished after an explosive argument. Nora is biding her time with her youngest son, who is convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land around their home. Lurie is a former outlaw and a man haunted by ghosts. He sees lost souls who want something from him, and he finds reprieve from their longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a momentous expedition across the West. The way in which Nora's and Lurie's stories intertwine is the surprise and suspense of this brilliant novel. Mythical, lyrical, and sweeping in scope, Inland is grounded in true but little-known history. It showcases all of Téa Obreht's talents as a writer, as she subverts and reimagines the myths of the American West, making it entirely--and unforgettably--her own.
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I wanted to love Inland. It had so much going for it: strong female protagonist fighting the establishment and the patriarchy and the environment, camels conscripted to war!, the daughter of a mesmerist who holds weekly seances and a (possible) beast stalking them all! It should have been gold! Instead, I often found myself bored to tears and I lost patience with it. The writing is gorgeous but not absorbing, the story is pretty strong but not thrilling and these little sparks of amazing would happen and I'd expect “oh, now something cool is going to happen!” just kind-of pssssshhhhttted.
A non-spoilery example: the grandmother, confined to a wheelchair and paralyzed is suspected of moving when Nora's not looking. Surely that would become important at some point, right? Not really.
I think I just wanted more magical realism and it did not deliver. I wanted the novel to “go there”. It does not.
YMMV. I should have gone in with lower expectations.