This is a very dark book. I often found myself struggling to finish this one. Thanks for the review copy.

Debut author Morgan Talty gives a no holds barred view of life on a reservation in his short story collection Night of the Living Rez. A rough portrayal of reservation life, we see the trials and perseverance of the Penobscot Community. A young boy finds a cursed jar inside his house, resulting in tragedy. A young man cuts his friend's hair off when it becomes frozen and stuck in the snow. He reminisces on how he could get money for this scalp at one point. In the titular story, a film crew is in town making a zombie movie only for a family to have a horror movie of their own.

Sad and challenging stories, but it stares directly at the problem and the issues.

Night of the Living Rez was a collection of short stories written by Morgan Talty that touched upon the the lives of members of the Penobscot tribe and their lives on the reservation . Thank you to NetGalley for providing the book for review!

This was such a wonderful book, both in the content of the short stories, and the actual execution. Talty has such a talent for creating an immersive atmosphere when reading, and it felt like such a privilege to peek inside his mind,

Talty touches on some very important, but sad, topics that can easily become emotionally overwhelming, but Talty does an excellent job of balancing the heavier topics with lighter prose. While the plot was interesting, characters themselves could have been developed a little further. Overall a great read, and I look forward to what Morgan Talty puts out next.

RATING: 2 STARS
2022; Tin House/Recorded Books

I really hate to rate Night of the Living Rez so low, as I found the writing compelling. I read many of the 4 and 5 star reviews, and I agree how well this story has been written. Talty brings to life what it is like for these characters to be Indigenous (Penobscot) in a "Native community in Maine." Now this is just my opinion as a reader, that this book would have worked better as a novel than stories. These stories were interconnected (having the same characters) but were also moving in time. I, personally, could not say that any of the stories could be read as a standalone. They work together to bring in the context. I did listen to this one on audio, so maybe I lost some of what was happening and did confuse some characters in the beginning, as I was not sure if this was a continuing story or something new. I would definitely read something else by Morgan Talty, but may pass if it is a short story collection.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook and audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

So beyond excited about this book. I loved it! It’s somehow not getting the buzz it should & I hope we can change that!

Visceral yet tender--Talty's writing style is singular and characterization is felt. One of the best stories I read in 2022

Talty is such a talented writer when it comes to characters and their dynamics. I wish that the stories here had felt more shapeful(?) than they do. Confusing choice on the publisher's part to pretend these aren't linked—I enjoyed how these all come together to build a mosaic of one character and his life.

4/5

If you only read one short story collection a year, I highly recommend you make it this one.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ explores life in the Penobscot community in Maine and what it’s like to persevere after tragedy. The stories are connected and dual timeline, following the main character David as a child, when he first moves to the reservation, and also 15 years later (with some also sprinkled in between those time frames).

One of the things I loved about this collection was the range. Even though they’re all focused on the same main character and his family and friends, the author did an incredible job of using tone to place the reader in different parts of David’s life. Some stories are humorous and adventurous; some atmospheric and even spooky; some incredibly emotional and heart wrenching.

I think this collection will appeal to people who don’t typically read short stories because there’s a through-line in all the stories, a question you’ll start asking yourself a few stories in that will have you quickly turning pages until you find the answer.

Read this one if you enjoy a complicated, sad family story, or the format of FIONA AND JANE.

Night of the Living Rez provides an intimate look into the lives of the people living on the Penobscot reservation in Maine. Told in a series of stories that focus mainly on two main characters: Dee, a young adult who is hooked on methadone and doesn’t have much else going for him. Bouncing between his mother’s home and that of his friend Fellis’, his stories are what life is like for someone with not a lot of prospects on or off the reservation.
The other storyline is about David, an adolescent living with his mom and her boyfriend. David’s stories are of watching his mother and boyfriend drink heavily and fight and watching his older sister, Paige, struggle, all from the naive viewpoint of a child.
This book was beautifully written and touches on themes of loss, addiction, and love.

I really enjoyed this debut - the series of short stories are compelling and well-linked. It did drag in places for me, which I think is down to the fact that it's a debut. I cannot wait to see what Talty does next, though.

It’s a rare thing to be really and truly grabbed by a book. Sure, there are works that will hold your attention long enough to allow you to sink into them. And sometimes, that connection never bears out and you abandon ship. But for a book to seize you by the shirt, commanding and demanding your attention and refusing to let go from the word go, well … that doesn’t happen very often.

But it does happen. And when it does? Strap in, because you’re going on a journey.

Morgan Talty’s new book “Night of the Living Rez” is going to take you on a trip, pulling you through a world with which you are likely unfamiliar, even as it exists alongside your own. This collection of a dozen stories is a reflection and exploration of Talty’s history and heritage as a member of the Penobscot Nation, bringing together moments of triumph and tragedy as it digs into the realities of what it means to be connected to one’s culture while also striving to live in the larger world.

Every one of these stories is effective on its own, brimming with a bifurcated and self-aware energy. But as they are consumed together, they feed on one another, spiraling upward on waves of simple joy and sadness and dark humor generated by the trials and tribulations of a singular young man. This is a book that is more than the sum of its parts, each tale a piece of the puzzle; it all comes together into a smart, thoughtful and utterly fascinating big picture.

The collection comes out hot with “Burn” – it’s the shortest piece in the book, but it sets the tone beautifully, capturing the combination of bravado and desperation at work in the lives of these young men. Winding together a bleak realism with a moment of absurd hilarity – a guy gets his braid frozen to the snow – “Burn” is precisely what I’m talking about when I talk about a book seizing me by the shirt. Half-a-dozen pages of exquisite storytelling.

And we’re off.

The stories of “Night of the Living Rez” move back and forth in time; this offers us the benefit of insight into both boyhood and the journey into manhood, as well as what comes after. Our hero – David, or sometimes simply D – is constantly seeking meaning. He seeks it from his friendships, from his family and from his larger community. Some lessons are hard-earned and others are freely given, but he is always learning about the people around him … even if he doesn’t always like what he learns.

“In a Jar” offers up an observation of the cross-section (and cross purposes) of modern and traditional beliefs even as we have our first meeting with David’s family – his sister, his mom, his mom’s boyfriend. It’s a microcosm of sorts, giving us a baseline understanding of what would come, even as David is just a boy. “Smokes Last” illustrates the deep and complicated connection between young men of a certain age – particularly when said young men are seeking something that they can’t quite articulate. And the book’s final piece – “The Name Means Thunder” – is a haunting, gut-wrenching story of choices and consequences, the sort of story that burrows into your brain and lodges itself in your soul.

(Just FYI, one of these stories features plans for a heist inspired by “Antiques Roadshow.” I’ll leave it to you to discover which one.)

The truth is that every one of the stories within the pages of “Night of the Living Rez” warrants more intellectual exploration than I have available ink. These are thoughtfully rendered and beautifully written stories, stopping at various points on a unique coming-of-age pathway. Each tale wrestles with large questions of identity, showing the struggle that comes with trying to maintain a connection to the past while also embracing the possibility of the future. David and the people around him are flawed, to be sure, but they are also steadfast and brave, even if they occasionally stumble along the way.

Talty’s connection to his Penobscot heritage is the life’s blood of this book. Each of these stories shows the complicated nature of that connection; it permeates every aspect of his life, both in terms of how he experiences it and how it is perceived from the outside. The old saw is “Write what you know,” and while it’s a little more complicated than that, there’s no disputing that Talty knows of what he speaks here – and the reader is the luckier for it.

Here's the thing: when it comes time for a written work to make the leap from good to great, well … the devil is in the details. And it is in those details that Talty truly shines. He has this remarkable ability to capture the smallest moments and render them both simply and memorably. These vivid snapshots are profligate on every page, the bits that turn a perfectly fine story into something greater. Something more. The impact of these glimpses – a teenage rock fight, a dented kitchen table, a solitary action figure – is inescapable and undeniable and cannot be overstated.

Now, this book wasn’t initially conceived as a novel-in-stories – these pieces came together at different times and first appeared in different spaces – but there’s no denying the interconnectedness of the book as a whole; it all comes together in such a way as to capture a life writ large. These stories evoke the energies of a small, tight-knit community, one where victories are celebrated and struggles are shared.

“Night of the Living Rez” is an exceptional and powerful collection, a book that addresses its world and the people living in it in myriad ways. These stories are packed with sharp edges, quiet dignity and dark humor. Smart, funny and challenging, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty is a collection of short stories about life on a reservation. And while I often feel indifferent about short story collections, this one was so well done.

Following the same characters and jumping around in the timeline made such an impact on the reading experience. The writing was so poignant and impactful. I started to understand the characters in these stories more as the book went on, and that made me have more understanding and love for them.

I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

Content notes: drug abuse and addiction, r slur, attempted sexual assault, strong language from parent

5 ⭐️

I enjoyed learning and reading about indigenous people I have not previously read much about. I liked the interconnectedness of the stories as well, though I thought some of them ended abruptly and left me wanting more.

Thank you to TinHouse and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Morgan Talty's Night of the Living Rez is dark, gritty, and full of love. It captures the complex human emotions and relationships that carry us forward. Centering around one family on the rez, Talty explores issues like unemployment and drug use with a humane, people focused approach. The characters aren't always likable and that's the point. Life isn't always so linear and thematically laid out, and, much like Talty's work, the meaning isn't always inherent. I enjoyed spending time in this community.

A very strong debut of interconnecting short stories about a young man living on a reservation with his family and friends. While there is a lot of realistic darkness, there is also a lot of love. Morgan Talty is an author to watch!

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty takes place within a Penobscot community in Maine. The book is a series of stories told from the point of view of David, who inadvertently brought bad juju to his home by digging up a creepy jar of dirt and teeth.

David was just a young boy when he found the jar but the lousy luck lasted for many years. Sure, you could blame the family’s tragedies on other things but David’s mom blamed the jar.

David’s mom called her friend, Frick, so they could figure out how to combat the misfortune that was coming. Frick was a medicine man yet he couldn’t seem to get rid of the evil spirits. In a way, the spirits caught up with everyone in the house.

Several years later, David became a regular at the methadone clinic. His sister, mom, and Frick had other things happen to them that I won’t mention here. Trust me when I say that the curse of the jar was strong.

Although the book is a collection of stories, it was nice that all of the stories were connected and included the same characters. I didn’t want to get attached to a character and then have to move on to the next story. It’s ok to fall in love with characters after a few words but I want to be committed just for a little while.

If you like stories about spirits and Indigenous life then you will enjoy Night of the Living Rez.

If you are too scared of catching the bad juju then get some sage before reading this book.

I received this ebook from Netgalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Night of the Living Rez is advertised as a collection of short stories, but it reads like a novel because the stories are inter-connected snippets of the narrator's experiences at various phases of his life. Initially, the reader meets David as a boy living with family and friends on a Penobscot reservation. Within a few pages (let alone chapters), it is clear - this is a dismal and neglected place steeped in despair caused by un-/under-employment, alcoholism, drug use, and inter-generational trauma — the young and old alike.

Albeit, under the surface, It is a compassionate and earnest rendering of people dealing with the hand dealt to them — one that is definitely not a "winning" hand by no means, but rather skewed toward "losing" based on a myriad of reverberating consequences birthed long ago by America's dark and shameful past. The circumstances and challenges presented within the stories make it easy to feel the weight of hopelessness and restlessness that spawn years of aloofness, constant financial struggles, bouts of depression and frustration (which often turn to anger and violence), and the inevitable reckless and harmful behaviors which beget irreparable outcomes.

Initially, I found aspects of the stories to be a bit mundane and somewhat overlapping/repetitive, but each adds a bit more information that threads past and future events. Thus I urge a bit of patience while reading.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

Morgan Talty has compiled the most wonderful batch of short pieces about living on the reservation. This collection sparkles and dazzled and delights. Moments are terrifying. Moments are uplifting and heart-warming. I could not put this book down. Bravo a million times. And thank you #NetGalley

This book was reviewed by my co-host on All the Books, so I did not have a chance to review it myself.

I will start by saying I have never read a book quite like this one. It was unique both in that it was a collection of short stories all written and published at different times that together read like a novel and in terms of the content. I would describe the content as having some themes similar to a Douglas Stuart novel, with characters and a setting similar to the Reservation Dogs TV shows, and some magical realism thrown in. All that being said, it was a book I appreciated more than loved. It's a strong work of fiction, but the heavy themes and magical realism plot elements made it difficult for me to read and follow at times. I can see how others have rated it highly, but it wasn't a personal favorite for me.