Inland

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Téa Obreht: Inland (Hardcover, 2019, Random House)

Hardcover

Published Nov. 19, 2019 by Random House.

ISBN:
978-0-8129-9286-1
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4 stars (1 review)

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 …

1 edition

A wonderfully distinctive work

4 stars

Inland is, on the face of it, a historical Western novel set in an arid, drought ridden landscape which Obreht breathtakingly evokes on every page. Two narrative threads tell the stories of Nora - endlessly awaiting the return of her husband and sons - and Lurie - remembering his adventurous camelteering days. I absolutely loved the way their lives eventually connected and hadn't figured it out in advance even though, with hindsight, perhaps the clues were there. I had no idea of the role camel trains had played in Wild West exploration or even that camels had been taken to 1850s America so I was fascinated to learn about this forgotten history. Obreht wove facts into an almost Hispanic magical realism novel which I felt fitted brilliantly well with frequent opaque visions of spirits and ghosts who cling tenaciously to some of the living characters.

My problem with Inland is …