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A review by justinlife
Inland by Téa Obreht
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
It's hard with a book like this b/c I want to be honest with how I felt about it but also recognize the work it took to go into creating this novel.
My review reflects my opinion. Others might enjoy it, but for me the book left me feeling disappointed. I was disappointed with the stories Obreht chose to tell and also sad b/c it felt like there were many many others she could have told.
The book follows two characters, Nora, living in Arizona during a drought, waiting for her husband and sons to return and Lurie, who is an outlaw living with the ghosts of his past and the ghosts around him. Nora is one of the most unlikable and unsympathetic characters I've read in a while. I couldn't understand her choices and her refusal to see the present in front her. She was mean and mean spirited and seemed like someone who had to be right.
Lurie's story was interesting enough but I barely remember a lot of it. Him surviving through the west with his animal made for interesting breaks.
This book didn't grab ahold of me. It didn't make me want to read it. In fact, it did the opposite. I wanted to put it down at almost every chance. The pacing was weird and by the time the book does get interesting (about 100 pages from the end), I didn't care about any of the characters to really feel the gravity of the situations they were in.
When the book ended, it just left me feeling disappointed. There was a lot that didn't get resolved. A lot that could have been fun to read. It's like if Obreht has condensed the first 200 pages and to 100 and took some to explore the aftermaths, I would have liked it more.
My review reflects my opinion. Others might enjoy it, but for me the book left me feeling disappointed. I was disappointed with the stories Obreht chose to tell and also sad b/c it felt like there were many many others she could have told.
The book follows two characters, Nora, living in Arizona during a drought, waiting for her husband and sons to return and Lurie, who is an outlaw living with the ghosts of his past and the ghosts around him. Nora is one of the most unlikable and unsympathetic characters I've read in a while. I couldn't understand her choices and her refusal to see the present in front her. She was mean and mean spirited and seemed like someone who had to be right.
Lurie's story was interesting enough but I barely remember a lot of it. Him surviving through the west with his animal made for interesting breaks.
This book didn't grab ahold of me. It didn't make me want to read it. In fact, it did the opposite. I wanted to put it down at almost every chance. The pacing was weird and by the time the book does get interesting (about 100 pages from the end), I didn't care about any of the characters to really feel the gravity of the situations they were in.
When the book ended, it just left me feeling disappointed. There was a lot that didn't get resolved. A lot that could have been fun to read. It's like if Obreht has condensed the first 200 pages and to 100 and took some to explore the aftermaths, I would have liked it more.