Book Review: Inland by Téa Obreht
Random House Synopsis
In the lawless, drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two extraordinary lives unfold. 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.
Meanwhile, 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 Lurie’s death-defying trek at last intersects with Nora’s plight 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 them entirely—and unforgettably—her own.
Magical realism and historical fiction converge in this dual narrative tale filled with sweeping landscapes, myths, adventure, and hardship that is ultimately about love, loss, family, and survival.
Two complex narratives lead us on a journey across the drought-ridden American West frontier in 1893 and tell the story of Inland. The first spans decades and takes us around the world as Lurie, an orphaned outlaw haunted by ghosts of his past and on the run and hiding within the U.S. Army Camel Corps, recounts his adventures. To a camel.
The second takes place over just one day as Nora, a strong homesteader and frontierswoman struggles with her husband leaving to find water the family desperately needs for survival, a guilty conscience, and speaks to her dead baby daughter, Evelyn. Her two eldest sons have left after a fight, her youngest son sees monsters, her flighty niece holds séances and communes with the dead, and a mother-in-law who is as unforgiving as the land round out the characters that make up Nora’s world.
Obreht is skillful at painting a picture and immersing the reader into the book with harsh Western landscapes, easy dialogue, and well-developed, memorable, flawed characters (even the ghosts) who meet the magnificent yet grim backdrop in their own way. Her lyrical prose is intricate and simply beautiful while she builds on a sense of mystery and ominous foreboding until the end.
Set in a time long past, there are relevant themes and symbolism to today’s world woven seamlessly throughout the book - war, immigrants, sexism, grief, tragedy, betrayal, psychological tolls – without hitting you over the head with them.
It is clear that Obreht has a gift for storytelling but every so often the descriptions became a bit too purple prosey and occasionally, I found myself skipping ahead mid-sentence. The book is a slow build with, at times, a dragging pace and plot. The disadvantage to her ability to sink you into the story so deeply is that with the dual storylines, she’d yank you out of one place and set you in another without warning and it was a bit jarring and disjointed.
Overall, Inland is a smart, fascinating, engaging, heartfelt tale with twists and turns and a touch of magic.
Rating
Inland will hit bookstores on August 13th, grab your copy from Amazon, for Kindle or Audible, or at IndieBound.
