Raised in a remote seaside village, Thomas Witka Just marries Ruth, his beloved since infancy. But an ill-fated decision to fight in Vietnam change...
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Feb 05, 2009
Ryan
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A new book from another of my favorite novelists, this is just as good as her last. Set in a village of a native nation fallen on hard times on the Pacific Coast, young Thomas, descended from those who talked to the whales, loves childhood friend Ruth and they marry. When out drinking with his buddies, Thomas joins the army and is shipped to Vietnam. Ruth takes this as a betrayal, but does not stop loving him. His death is reported and Ruth continues on, fishing, arguing with the men who wa
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Dec 29, 2008
Heid
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Beautiful as all her prose, this book took me to the ocean and into the minds of a character whose transcendent relationship with water figures as heavily as the plot based on human experience. Excellent and troubling depictions of community politics and tribal obligations. And yet, as compelling as I found this book, I had to wonder over Hogan's creating a fictional tribe who (very like the actual Makah tribe) decide to reinstate the hunting of whales. I do not know why the Makah decided to
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Mar 14, 2010
sdw
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People of the Whale may be Linda Hogan's most beautiful novel yet. The novel is set among a fictional tribe in the Pacific Northwest who decide to resume a whale hunt to secretly sell the meat to the Japanese. I expected this book to be about the politics of whaling in the context of native sovereignty. It is not. Hogan depicts the whaling controversy without nuance. It is greed and corruption. It is a war on life on par with larger wars. The whaling however is only a background story to a
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May 22, 2011
Catherine
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Hogan's prose is unbelievably lush - there is such compassion and beauty to this book, even when Hogan turns her attention to the ugliness of humanity; war, loss, grief, murder, colonialism, PTSD. Multiple worlds exist in these pages - Dark River, self-sufficient, wonderfully contained, bordered by ocean and forest, brushing up against the spirit world; Saigon, a half-world away, rich with the scent of flowers even amid poverty, confusion, silences, the memory of war. The larger world isn't ab
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May 06, 2009
Steve
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I wasn't so sure about this book for the first 75 pages or so. The language is very poetic and this was jarring and seemed a bit overdone at the start. But when part 2 kicked in, with the story of the main character's daughter growing up without him in the wake of the Vietnam War, Hogan hits her stride. And from that point the narrative never flagged for me. I guess either the poetry subsided or I grew so used to it that it didn't bother me any more. And, too, Hogan's characters are so rich
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Dec 02, 2011
Nicole
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Thomas Just returns from Vietnam and disappears from his family (wife Ruth and son Marco Polo), having abandoned another child, Lin, in Vietnam, until he gets word of a tribal whale killing to take place. This horrible corruption of an act once intimately connected to nature for these People of the Whale is indicative of how far removed they are from their roots (they murder a young whale, who had only come close to greet them, rather than a whale that, traditionally, they would ask to offer its
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Aug 07, 2011
Christina
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I have spent many years studying and working with First Nations in Canada. Their way of understanding the world is one that could teach us a great deal about wholeness, lack of attachment and interconnectedness. In this novel, Linda Hogan, a Native herself, not only tells a truly poignant tale but does so in the manner that reveals an authentic portrayal of Natives and their interactions. It's lyrical nature often has the rhythm that their songs do, and it carries the story along with the same s
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Oct 28, 2011
Smoky
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Some books are meant to be devoured. A great mystery, for example, or a romance where you can’t wait to see if the star-crossed lovers ends up together or not.
Other books are meant to be savored. People of the Whale by Linda Hogan falls into this latter category, and savor it I did, like a fine wine.
When Thomas Witka Just marries his childhood sweetheart, Ruth, they are sure their love will last until the last gray whale sings its final song. They are members of the (fictiona More...
Other books are meant to be savored. People of the Whale by Linda Hogan falls into this latter category, and savor it I did, like a fine wine.
When Thomas Witka Just marries his childhood sweetheart, Ruth, they are sure their love will last until the last gray whale sings its final song. They are members of the (fictiona More...
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Apr 17, 2010
Sarah
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Hogan's writing is so rich and intricate that I found myself actually stumbling through the first third of this book, having to put it down for longer stretches than I wanted to while I mustered up more patience and focus to continue on. Hogan's voice just felt so otherwordly and I felt like I couldn't experience the characters directly enough because she seemed to write around them rather than about them. But soon enough I fell into sync with it all and found myself doing exactly the opposite
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Jan 01, 2009
Kelly
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I had such a good conversation with my BF about this book. I think Linda Hogan is a fantastic writer. This is a relatively short book but it took me quite a while to read because it's so dense. It's written beautifully, and the reason why I had to read it slowly is because I had to stop and think about Native American lore and culture and how that collides with Western (white) culture. Everything that Thomas was raised to believe, revere, and live is in complete contrast to what he has to do in
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Jun 17, 2009
Miz Lizzie
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Linda Hogan is a poet who writes exquisitely beautiful and deeply meaningful novels about the emotional and environmental fall-outs of devastating events that somehow manage to come to a place of redemption and hope. Raised on a remote west coast reservation, Thomas Just goes out drinking with his buddies and ends up signing up to serve in the Vietnam War. The effects of the war on Thomas, his wife, his children, and his community reverberate through the years as everyone struggles to restore
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Aug 16, 2008
Suzi
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My review from the paper.
Witness the Broken Ocean
And, with Linda Hogan, imagine it healing
by Suzi Steffen
PEOPLE OF THE WHALE, fiction by Linda Hogan. W.W. Norton & Company, 2008. Hardcover, $24.95.
Linda Hogan likes to anchor her novels firmly in reality, a taste that would make them more like nonfiction if she didn’t write in cascading images about characters who find a way to call the injured world home.
But perhaps that’s More...
Jan 18, 2010
Kaya
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Once again, Linda Hogan dazzles me again with her lyrical and compassionate writing. Her work always leaves me with an even greater appreciation for other viewpoints and the spirit of our environment. Even though I'm a huge Linda Hogan fan, I was reluctant to read this novel because one character wrestles with his memories of fighting in the Vietnam War, and frankly, I am a sissy when it comes to thinking about the horrors of humanity, but the way Hogan told the story was both sensitive, honest,
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Jul 09, 2011
Carol Rich
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This is the first book of fiction I have read about a native American culture by a native American. I found Ms. Hogan's writing style poetic, lyrical, and magical. She transported me into a new world where nature and humans become one, where nature is revered, and where life's lessons are not only learned through experience but through nature. I am eager to read more than Ms. Hogan has written after reading this book.
Jan 05, 2010
Trish
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I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read from Linda. Beautiful story of a Tribe that believes fully in the ocean and its creatures that live within. Also its about a Tribe that is lost and it's own people go against each other. As a native person who believes in nature myself and knows how Tribal politics works,I really conected with the story. It was thoughtfully written with a lot of detail. Overall a great book to read.
Dec 13, 2008
Jayne
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This is a beautifully written story that is so complex in its handling of PTSS from Vietnam and the conflicts between white and native societies/cultures. And- if that is not enough for you - the internal conflicts probably will weigh most on your soul. In the afterword the author talks about her husband helping her with the Vietnam content - it is so real and raw.
May 19, 2010
Nikomo
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I learned that much of the descriptions applied to oppressed Native peoples, disconnected from their cultures, can be applied synonymously to Black peoples and other people of color. Linda Hogan refers to them as "conquered people"; she alludes to their despair and what america has done to them, but also the hope and depth that still swims deep within their souls.
Feb 11, 2010
Monty
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This novel about an unnamed paddling Native American Nation on the west coast is written in prose but feels like poetry. There's an underlying haunting quality tinged with sadness as the story unfolds. Things don't always turn out as you would want, but all the events fit into a gestalt that seems right. I will definitely read more books by this author.
Jan 04, 2010
Suzanne
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This is a haunting and beautiful story about Native American Ruth, a woman born with gills, and her husband Thomas, one of the people of the whale, who signs up for the war in Vietnam and comes back changed, and Lin, the daughter he leaves behind. The themes of nature, and man's stewardship of the earth, and the effects of war are explored in poetic prose.
Dec 03, 2009
Mariana
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A village is broken by corrupt male leaders.
A man is broken by going to war in Vietnam.
His son is broken when a whale is killed.
His wife is broken when her son dies.
His daughter is not broken against all odds.
Three women dance on a beach.
Old people teach old ways
and eat Girl Scout Cookies.
A man is broken by going to war in Vietnam.
His son is broken when a whale is killed.
His wife is broken when her son dies.
His daughter is not broken against all odds.
Three women dance on a beach.
Old people teach old ways
and eat Girl Scout Cookies.
Oct 21, 2011
Samantha
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I had to read this book for an English class. Hogan is a wonderful storyteller, weaving intricate plot lines that leave you curious and turning the pages quickly. Her imagery is stunning and her use of "magical realism" adds a nice feel to the novel. I definitely recommend it if you like books that really make you think, and books that transport you to another place and time.
Jan 28, 2011
Susan
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A young woman in the present day, living in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, while her current boyfriend is out with the fishing fleet, becomes involved with the local indigenous culture. This could have been better. They woman's tawdriness turned me off, and at time it was not clear what was going on.
Apr 04, 2011
Bruce
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Hogan may be the single most unheralded writer on the planet, but hopefully that won't continue to be so. She has a unique voice and vision that gets both the big picture and the smallest of detail. She also comfortably mixes and traverses the mythopoetic realm with everyday reality, a feat many writers never seem to accomplish. Often enough, reading a second novel from a writer I enjoyed the first time just doesn't measure up or reach the same level of interest. That was not the case with this
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Feb 11, 2009
Leslie
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Fantastic! Hogan's lyrical prose draws the reader in to this story of a family - and really, the tribe - and the effects of one man's experiences in the Vietnam War on it. Deftly written, this is for fans of Louise Erdrich and other writers who elegantly depict loneliness and solitude, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Nov 29, 2008
Marzia
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Beautiful, lyrical sentences with almost a dreamlike feel. Compares and contrasts the suffering of Native Americans with that of the people of Vietnam during the unjust war in the 60s and 70s.
May 18, 2009
Nadia
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Very sad but lovely, haunting language...I found it hard to really understand or empathize with the flawed hero. The female character of Ruth was incredibly strong and well portrayed, though.
Nov 17, 2011
Paul
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An interesting account of the way the members of an Indian tribe adapt to modern life in the US. The main male character is somewhat unsympathetic, but this is balanced by a strong female lead.
Jan 29, 2011
Kim
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American contemp....~1960s-90 NW and Vietnam....Native American, whale hunting, tradition, war, Vietnam, fences, deceit, worlds.
Lyric, mythic, unreal and real. Not my usual style, but this book will stick with me.
Lyric, mythic, unreal and real. Not my usual style, but this book will stick with me.
Dec 20, 2008
Jim
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Somehow, I had a difficult time with this. Whether the story itself or the language and writing style I'm not sure.
Jun 26, 2009
Marnie
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The beginning and the end were pretty good. There was a good chunk in the middle that was hard to get through...
