Not being of Native-American descent, I almost felt like an intruder, a voyeur, as I read this book. It seemed that intimate. Most of the story takes place among a seaside community tied spiritually and economically to the whale. Thomas and Ruth, friends since childhood, have married and she is pregnant when he volunteers to fight in Vietnam. Separated from U.S. forces he creates a new life as a rice farmer, fathering a daughter with a Vietnamese woman. When he returns to his U.S. community he struggles with integrating his dual selves.At many times I wasn't clear what was happening, but the prose was so beautiful I didn't care. I trusted the author to let the story unfold in the manner she wanted it to be told. I plan to recommend it to my book group and read it again. This book was simply lovely. There are elements of Native American myth and story, woven together with the story of a man (like so many men) who lived through the horrors of Vietnam. Thomas Just and his wife Ruth are the central characters. Thomas is trying to make sense of, and return to his life in California (albeit with no further interest in Ruth) after the shattering yet also transformative experience of Vietnam. The A'atsika tribe that both Thomas and Ruth belong to is the true beating heart of this story. I think that their people's struggle to maintain, and re-discover their deep connections to the natural world are really what makes this story resonate and stick. At times the lines between reality and tradition in the narrative blur in a beautifully spellbinding way. I'll never think of an octopus or a whale the same way again after reading this. Highly recommended.
What do You think about People Of The Whale (2008)?
Just wonderful. Deep and multi-layered. The reason I read. I will seek out more by this offer.
—ami1987
i LOVED this book. Read it, live it, love it. Beautiful, Beautiful book.
—mami
