Almanac of the Dead

Customer Reviews

• Novel Might not be the Best Term for this Book  May 16, 2002 (22 of 23 found this helpful)

  In much the same way that her brilliant and beautiful 1st novel Ceremony is intended to function as a ceremony for its readers, Almanac is intended to function as a a prophetic document. Silko's text is inspired by, and meant to serve as an extension of, ancient Mayan codices--books which keep exact and detailed record of Time and attempt to prophesy based on this knowledge. Time is as much a character in this "novel" as the Land is.
  

  Of course, Silko doesn't lay all this out for her reader, but the clues are there. The ancient notebooks that old Yoeme leaves in the hands of the twins Lecha & Zeta are directly inspired by & directly refer to the codices. Twins themselves are of mythological significance in Mayan (and many other Southwestern) cosmologies. Almost every Native American character in this novel can be read as a mythological being in disguise. They all have dual functions, especially the female characters.
  Silko has said that the anger which can be so overwhelming in her text does not come from her. She sees herself as more of a conduit for a much more ancient and dangerous rage. What began as a project about the seedy underbelly of Modern Tucson quickly transphormed itself to a work of mythological scope and political indictment.
  

  This novel is demanding, complex, and mind-blowing in scope. It is by no means a casual read, nor is it sympathetic towards its reader. It requires things of you that typical novels don't. It even demands you abandon your theory of what a novel is and does. But if you are willing to follow Silko's narrative & thematic trails, the vision she reveals for you is truly astounding.
  

  Silko's next novel, Gardens in the Dunes, was written, she says, to reward all of us who braved and withstood the onslaught that is Almanac of the Dead. It is true that those who make it through this book develop a bit of an obsession with it. Approach this text with this in mind, and you might make it to the end. But be prepared to return immediately to the beginning--you'll never get the scope of Silko's vision in one read.

• Native Reality Check  Oct 8, 2002 (12 of 12 found this helpful)

  I am a Native American woman, and I found this book empowering, depressing and very raw. I can see people that I know in the characters in the book as well as having had some of the same experiences. The book gives a realistic glimpse of a small population of Native American experiences. It shows how hard our world really is, and how Natives struggle through their lives knowing that there is no alternative. This book shows the other, real side to the "noble savage" myth.

• An excellent book...  Oct 5, 2000 (13 of 14 found this helpful)

  Wow, what a concept...we finally have a Native American stream-of-consciousness novel! Enough of these white-man's dreams like The Tunnel or Gravity's Rainbow, we finally are letting some other voices tell the other side of our sorry travels.

  Dense. Jumpy. And a few things you might wish you never read. But most of this novel is gripping and, quite sadly so, possibly the truth. If you've read the white man's tales listed above then you really should check this trip out.

• prettysnake says, sssssuper book Sssssssilko!!!!  Sep 4, 2000 (18 of 21 found this helpful)

  Not nearly as complex as some would like to make it. The "land" interacts with people to manifest its spirits. Those who are "cut off" from the land, become alienated and "alien." 500 years is not so long in the grand scheme of things. What is yet to come is what has been before, a people who are shaped by the spirits of the Americas.

  Her novel might not make some people "happy." It certainly isn't your romantic "Indian story" (that so many people seem to want). The lives it depicts in fiction aren't far from the convoluted inner workings of some of the indigenous movements here in the Americas (the Zapatista, AIM, etc.) nor from the "cultural elite" who rot in their penthouses in the monuments of Western civilization.

  It might not be an "easy" read, but it is certainly an engaging one, and a well-crafted one. Highly recommended.

• Formidable, Complex, Vast And Compelling  Jul 30, 2006 (6 of 6 found this helpful)

  This is a novel that's formidable at first sight but well worth reading, or at the very least skimming...
  
  I stumbled upon this book after I was captivated by the cover as a fellow walked by holding it under his arm. I thought "Almanac of The Dead," that sounds like something I'd like to read... It was, just not the way I expected...
  
  With more than 50 characters and a wide array of events spanning hundreds of years and several continents, the plot of this novel is less linear than an elaborate web of events that centers itself on Tucson, Arizona.
  
  Stamped by the era it was written in and bursting at the seams with addicts, eco-warriors, the homeless, alcoholics, twisted judges, corrupt politicians, the greedy, the unscrupulous and a variety of other unsavory characters, this novel tells a story of oppression, of indigenous people and their allies, of efforts to retake their stolen land and ultimately of a form of healing not often visited by novels...
  
  Perhaps, it's because I live in Tucson, AZ that I was able to transport myself to this parallel universe world so easily but whatever the reason it was like taking a walk through another person's dreamscape. Vast, jarring, complex, upsetting, even a bit boring at times, but always compelling.
  
  I'll never read it again, but I'm glad I read it once.