Mirabell
26-Jul-2010, 14:47
Winter in the Blood is an absolutely stunning piece of fiction, a dense work of art, crawling with an awareness both of western and Native fictional traditions, of political and economic necessities and it?s written by a master of prose. Welch has managed to write a book about a Native experience without ever becoming maudlin or sentimental. His book is hard as rock, yet it?s welcoming to readers. The softness of myth, of oral history, of Native tragedies informs every page of the book, even as we follow a narrative that seems fractured, harsh, bleak, even. People hit each other, contemplate murder or deceit, they distrust one another almost constantly, and this is just those who are welcome there, who see one another on a daily basis. Welch?s narrator is a visitor, and, broadly speaking, a loser, who can command neither love, nor respect or fear. He?s just there, fending for himself. Yet at the same time, any accusation of bleakness must fall short since Welch?s book describes a hopeful trek towards, not away from a firm sense of identity. As you see, even a rough description of the book is complicated and apparently contradictory, yet one of Welch?s many achievements in the novel is its utter unity, its strong, coherent voice.
full review here James Welch: Winter in the Blood shigekuni. (http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/james-welch-winter-in-the-blood/)
really, really good book.
full review here James Welch: Winter in the Blood shigekuni. (http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/james-welch-winter-in-the-blood/)
really, really good book.