“It’s not as cold as you would expect, the touch of the dead. The skin prickles like a dreaming limb. It’s not the strangeness of the feeling that terrifies you—it’s their want. It blows you open.”

A couple of weekends ago a friend asked me what my favorite book was so far this year and I said I hadn’t read any one novel that really blew me away yet in that can’t-stop-thinking-about-it, can’t-stop-talking-about-it, that-was-magnificent kind of way. Well, here it is. Inland by Téa Obreht is my favorite novel of the first half of 2019.

Set in the latter half of the 1800s in the Arizona Territory, Inland masterfully captures a sense of foreboding and doom that hums along ominously, growing chapter by chapter toward a gut-punch of a crescendo. Inland is the story of two characters - Nora, a homesteader and mother whose husband went for water and has not returned for days, and Lurie, the Turkish immigrant turned outlaw on the run from his past; it is also the story of the Arizona Territory, with Obreht painting it as formidable and unforgiving, a harsh, waterless landscape dotted with ghosts. Like one of these spirits, this book has stayed with me, and I haven’t been able to stop telling people about it since I finished it a few days ago. Inland is out this August and my only regret is that everyone has to wait until then to read it. Thanks Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read it early in exchange for this honest review.

Posted to Goodreads and Instagram on 5/22.

I loved The Tigers Wife by this author band Inland goes high on my list of magical reads Tea Obreht writes in a literary manner gorgeous images past& present a book to sink into, Highly recommend #netgalley#randomhouse

This is my first deep dive into writing by Téa Obreht and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on, The Tiger’s Wife next! This latest book by her is just stunning. Her descriptions of life, landscape and the characters in the novel are truly amazing. I felt like I was there, in the Arizona Territory right beside the characters of the book. I couldn’t put this book down and basically spent my whole weekend reading as opposed to doing anything else. I wanted to spend more time with the book but it was just so good, I couldn’t put it down. I loved this book! Thank you NetGalley!!

This book is sensational. I remember being so taken with The Tiger’s Wife, and anxiously waiting for another book. Now I know why it took so long. INLAND is a marvel. The book is vibrant and hard,and calls up the dust and hardship of the desert do beautifully, and then mixing in camels and magical realism, seals the deal for originality and verve. This book is destined for awards and massive sales. Bravo!

This was a good book that was well written and characterized but I found my mind wandering mid book. Overall a good book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I requested Inland after seeing it in a Netgalley feature. The story line appealed to me, and the author had a previous well-known work.. Sadly, I just could not get into it. I tried a few times to keep going, but it was like a chore. The writing was drawn out and I didn't feel a connection with the characters. This will be added to my did not finish list. Giving the remainder of the book the benefit of the doubt and giving an overall rating of 2 stars.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for advanced copy of this book.

This book more than exceeded my expectations. Obreht and Inland had me at 1893, but a man who sees ghosts? WHERE DO I SIGN??? This one of those books that will grab you and hold you to the very end. Magic and myths in the land of the outlaws? Yes, please.

The first 10% of this book was a 5-star read for me. Then I spent the next week forcing myself to read at least 3% a day just so I could move on with my life—the story kept putting me to sleep, literally. I absolutely despised the ending and felt my fingers gripping the edges of my Kindle in anger but the final paragraphs were so beautiful and moving that I wept.

I won’t be surprised when Six Flags opens up their newest roller coaster attraction “Dea Reading Inland” but I will expect a share of the royalties, of course.

The prose was beautiful, I loved the setting, and the idea of the story is interesting, but I just feel like Obreht really mangled some promising material. Characters exist blatantly for plot development (not even development, more like “plot closure,” if that’s a thing?). The pacing is way off—this story takes place in a day but also, you know, we have decades of backstory to fill in the gaps, and both timelines are boring! I found myself constantly rereading passages because I nodded off, and sometimes I didn’t reread passages because I wanted to stay awake. This is not the sign of an enjoyable read.

There’s also the interesting hot take of depicting Native Americans and Mexicans as savages to fear because they will hunt and destroy white families and communities. And by “interesting” I mean “disturbing” and by “hot take” I mean “it’s 2019, I thought we were better than this by now but I guess not.”

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.
I was excited to read this book because I loved The Tiger’s Wife. Sad to say that about half way thru I had to put it aside in my DNF pile. I really tried to appreciate and understand what was going on but it all went over my head.
2.75

This mysterious and captivating novel weaves two story strands together into an unexpected and gratifying end. I'm pretty sure it's not like anything else you've read, which is a treat in itself.

One storyline revolves around Nora, living on a sun blasted ranch during the 1892 Arizona drought. Her husband has left to buy water from the waterman in town, and her older sons have gone into town to publish their newspaper. None have returned. She's at home with her youngest son, who has had what seems to be a whale of a concussion, and their servant, a young woman who says she can occasionally speak to the dead. And her stroke-impaired, wheelchair-bound mother who mysteriously manages to move her chair to prime spots in the house.

Story two involves Lurie Mattie, which is not his real name, brought to the US as a child, lived as a street kid, and who relates his story to Burke, his camel. Lurie has two dead friends who follow him because he has absorbed their want. Where he encountered his camel you will have to read "Inland" to find out.

Anyone who follows my reviews knows how off stories with supernatural elements, and that's because they are usually stupid. Tea Obrecht taps into the spirit of people of that time and place to create beliefs that fit. The west was haunted, and the people who came there brought their own ghosts to cohabit with the new ones they encountered.

Obrecht is a beautiful writer who captures the frying southwest and how people survive in areas where people were not really meant to live. Only Burke the camel is in the right place. What a wonderful book.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but enjoyed this. The author is quite talented and crafted a good plot with interesting characters. Good dialog as well. I'll have to check out some of her other work. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

DNF. Just couldn't get into this. Its meandering and full of references to things i have no idea what they mean. No character jumped forward to lay claim on my time, either.

I have an immense love for Westerns; the outlaws, rugged land, infinite hope of people desiring to discover more...it’s all quite fascinating. I felt giddy when I was granted the book, Inland, to review. I’m pleased to report this historical fiction novel lived up to my expectations, and more. I was so taken with the brilliant writing. Not only does this story capture the spirit of the West, but it creatively incorporates a layer of fantasy and is so original.

After devouring her 2011 debut, The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht quickly became one of my favorite authors, and I have been impatiently awaiting her second novel. This new, historical fiction novel about the Arizona Territory in the 1800s was not quite what I was expecting, and I have to admit that I was not convinced from the start. The build up was slow, but her beautiful, descriptive, sentence-level language drew me in and her characters started growing on me, and by halfway through, I was hooked. I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what Tea Obreht writes about, be it waiting in line at the DMV or watching paint dry, I can’t not love it.

Fiction fans are always on the lookout for that breakout debut novelist. Such was the case with Tea Obreht and “The Tiger’s Wife”, which was such a great big hit in 2011.

I am always just as curious about the follow-up. Does it come out quickly? Was it already laying there, but deemed not right for the 1st effort? What is the style/genre? Same/different, a combination? Does the writing “hold up”.

It’s been seemingly pretty quiet around Ms. Obreht, but, after 7/8 years, that is soon to change. Here comes “Inland” and it answers all the questions. “Inland” couldn’t be more different than “The Tiger’s Wife” and I couldn’t be more delighted. For starters, we’re not in an unnamed Balkan landscape chasing real and imaginary animals and spirits. We are in the hard-core 19th century U.S. Wild West where you never know where your next drop of water is coming, much less what the future has in store. There are the living and the non-living, of course, but most of the imaginary places and things turn out to be pretty real. There are lots of characters, and they all have a role to play. The story is complex, even at times, a challenge to follow. Is it a mystery? Is it real history? Could it be all that and more? Move on over a bit “The Tiger’s Wife”. “Inland” is going to take a place at Ms. Obreht’s head table.

Thank you, Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Eight years ago Tea Obreht burst upon the literary scene with her truly original fable-like tale, The Tiger's Wife. With so much attention paid to her debut novel, it would not be unreasonable to fear that she experiences the sophomore curse, not having what follows to measure up. But in this case, she succeeds, I think primarily because she took her time and didn't rush into a subsequent publication immediately. Here we find a totally different part of the world, drought-ridden Arizona Territory in the late nineteenth century. And a most unlikely band of characters who face the rigors of survival and prevail. Lurie, who immigrated from Eastern Europe with his father, is beset with ghosts, and converses with his charge, a somewhat bedraggled but heroic camel named Said. And Nora, who gives a whole new dimension to the term Pioneer Woman, who also is beset with one ghost, that of her deceased daughter with whom she seeks advice and comfort. Obreht is truly a masterful writer, and this, her second novel, proves she is the real deal.

Deeply imagined historical fiction based on an unusual episode in the history of Arizona Territory in the mid-to-late 1800s. Obreht threads together two seemingly disparate stories: Lurie, a Turkish immigrant whose alliances have led to his status as a wanted man, and Nora, a mother toiling in a rugged landscape to care for her family in a drought while her husband searches for water. These two storylines eventually merge in a satisfying way. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, as I found part of the enjoyment in reading this novel is figuring out the connections.

The characters are well-crafted, and the style of prose is suited to the time period. The reader is privy to the inner thoughts of the two main characters, how they view what they have done in life, and the stories they tell themselves. They each have experienced grief, and it continues to influence them at a cost to their mental well-being. Their personal stories and a few well-kept secrets are gradually revealed, containing a few surprises for the reader.

The desert is a character unto itself. The author expertly evokes the oppressive heat, arid landscape, and the harsh realities faced by anyone trying to make a life in the desert. It felt authentic in its portrayal of what life may have been like on the lawless, rough frontier. I recommend keeping a water bottle at hand!
I should mention that this book contains a few ghosts, called “the other living,” that can be read either as supernatural elements or as figments of the characters’ imaginations. I found it very easy to explain these apparitions as a product of extreme grief, influence by others, or a deterioration in mental health.

This novel works on several levels: it is a picture of the challenges within a long-term marriage, the lingering impact of the death of loved ones, and the impact of individual choices on a person’s life. I highly enjoyed it.

Had I not lived in Arizona for twenty years, I'm not sure if the description of this novel would have made me want to pick it up and begin reading. Having read The Tiger's Wife, I figured I'd give this novel a chance. and I wasn't disappointed. I love the author's sense of humor. Nora, the mother raising her children alone, while she awaits the return of her husband and her two oldest sons, is a joy, as is her youngest son. These two make quite the team as they forge through the Wild West. In the author's notes, we learn more about how the author researched the Camel Corps. I loved coming across all references to these camels. This novel made three days of endless rain seem much more delightful.