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.