As I get older and probably more jaded, I often find myself drawn to general fiction that shows a different cultural perspective, enjoying the learning and stimulation of a different way of seeing the world. This led me to Tommy Orange’s terrific debut THERE, THERE, which I found a beautiful piece of fiction about the urban Native-American experience.

The novel is a bestseller and won all sorts of awards, but I put all that aside in my expectations and started with page one. Pretty soon, I couldn’t put it down. In THERE, THERE, Orange produces a history, point of view, and slice of life for twelve Native-Americans living in Oakland and all headed to the same pow wow ceremony, all connected in some way whether they realize it or not.

The language is powerful and puts you right in the brain of each character, while providing perspectives that place you directly in the Native-American experience. That’s pretty much the good part of my review, but it’s everything. You enjoy, you learn, you empathize, you root for, you understand someone previously alien to you. That’s great fiction. Thematically, for me, there is a strong tone of reclaiming spirit but screwing it up along the way because of problems far bigger than individuals, a theme that’s universal.

On the downside for some readers, there are a lot of characters, not only the twelve principals but their own networks, so you might find yourself skipping back to Orange’s dramatis personnae at the beginning of the book to keep track. While each character brings something new to the mix, the overall tone is fairly monotone across them all with a simmering despair, a feeling like no matter what you do, you can’t win, no matter what you achieve, something big was already taken from you that you’ll never get back. A hunger for something that can’t be satisfied.

Another downside for some readers is this is, well, a work of literary fiction. The story is far more about who these people are, where they came from, what they want to be, and where they’re going far more than this or that happens. You either appreciate the form of you don’t. Honestly, there are many times I don’t, but I found the characters and author compelling enough to love it.

The story all comes to a head at the Big Oakland Pow Wow, and while it ties the characters together, there isn’t much of a denouement where they learn or change, which would be my own personal singular criticism. It left me feeling satisfied with the journey but also a little wanting at the destination, though maybe that was the point.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from Orange.

In Tyler Enfield’s LIKE RUM-DRUNK ANGELS, a boy goes on a journey across the Old West to seek his fortune and win the girl of his dreams. Guided by his heart and the utter confidence it gives him, he becomes an outlaw, possibly guided by an ancient spirit that will give him what he desires but only if he truly grows up and earns it. I really enjoyed this book, it was quite an experience.

I used to be a very eclectic reader, though I leaned on offbeat sci-fi as a preference. When my writing career started to take off, though, something weird happened, which is I found myself constantly reading books in the same genre as I was writing in. Back when I was writing zombie books, for example, I read one zombie book after another, and when I switched to writing WW2 and horror–you can guess what happened then. Reading in the stable, so to speak, kept me in the mood, and I found it useful to see how other authors handled topics I was tackling both for inspiration and to ensure I was carving my own path through similar ground. Very useful, for sure, though also a bit of a curse, as I missed reading whatever I wanted.

Then recently, I was between writing books, and the curse lifted, at least for a time. I started to grab books off the shelf for the sole fact they looked interesting. Ending up in the Western section (the horror shelves at my local big box have shrunk so much it’s easy to move right past it and find myself facing Westerns), I figured I’d give one a read, as I’d read Westerns in the past and benefited from the experience. One book leaped out at me for its jaunty cover and title: LIKE RUM-DRUNK ANGELS.

Written by Tyler Enfield, who turns out is a neighbor of mine, living in a city in the same province a few hours north of me, it proved a quirky, fast moving, charming, and overall good fun read. The plot is a basic hero’s quest with allusions to ALADDIN, set in the West with its familiar tropes but with a few magical elements thrown in, adding a touch of fantasy to it. The voice is poetic but quick, with short chapters. The characters are all likeable, especially our protagonist Francis, who is brash and charming. The overall tone is offbeat, drawing comparisons to the Coen Brothers and Thomas Berger’s LITTLE BIG MAN. While a strength for me, this latter aspect of the book might turn off some readers looking for a traditional Western, as this ain’t 100% that.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one and recommend it for readers looking for something different, a Western with a likeable protagonist, an overall quirky tone, and a tale that feels traditional and modern, hinting throughout at far bigger themes.