The Absence of Angels: A Novel (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series) [Paperback]

W. S. Penn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806127147 | ISBN-13: 978-0806127149 | Publication Date: February 15, 1995

The narrator-protagonist of this magical novel about urban mixed-blood Indian life is Albert (Alley) Hummingbird, a self-conscious, shy college student who masks his feelings with humor and who longs to reconcile the two cultures that have formed him. Alley is not supposed to live at birth, but his grandfather, a Nez Perce, rescues him from Death (who reappears throughout the novel as a petty, mean, pathetic, and ultimately funny character). The grandfather’s teachings to Alley, which come from the afterlife region known as the "absence of angels," connect Alley to his Indian heritage when he needs it. Otherwise his life is fragmented: a father who rejected his heritage, a mother who is slightly mad, and a friend, Sara, with whom Alley is in love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Albert (Alley) Hummingbird, the shy hero of this imaginative and entertaining first novel, is a mixed-blood Indian who must contend with a father who abandoned Nez Perce ways to marry a rather daft white woman, with an uncle haunted by the ghosts of pilots he sent to their deaths during WW II and with Death itself, which is treated as a character. To save newborn Alley from the grim reaper, his grandfather, the source of his Native American values, "took a disappointed Death by the wrist, put Him in the passenger seat of the 1947 Plymouth" and drove to a far-off mission, "where he left Him chained like a rabid dog." The boy will encounter Death again in pet burials and his sister's secret retreats to the graveyard. The opposite sex also causes much heartache for Alley, who feels the need to make everything right for every woman he knows. Skipping lyrically between his hero's childhood and young adulthood, Penn has produced a delightful work of magic realism reminiscent of John Nichols's The Milagro Beanfield War . Flashbacks abound, and the reader is never quite sure whether Alley's wise grandfather is alive or merely living in his imagination. Himself of Native American and white ancestry, the author limns with insight the struggles of modern, urban, often mixed-blood Indians to forge a coherent identity.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Penn's first novel has all the usual pain-inducing ingredients identifiable with any Bildungsroman. These are mixed together well with elements of Native American myth, a beautifully evoked Southwestern landscape, and humor. Memorable characters like wise girlfriend Sara, an even wiser Grandfather, and, surprisingly enough, Death, accompany Albert "Alley" Hummingbird on his journey through young adulthood. In the process, Penn poignantly reveals the difficult personal politics of identity facing this young man of Native American and WASP descent. Just recently awarded the 1994 North American Indian Prose Award by the University of Nebraska Press, Penn certainly promises to reach a wide audience with this novel. Recommended especially for collections emphasizing Native American literature.
- Faye A. Chadwell, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (February 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806127147
• ISBN-13: 978-0806127149
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,988,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Absence of Heart, May 12, 2004

By 

grace saran "grace saran" (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Absence of Angels: A Novel (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story. Calling all film makers -- especially native ones -- this would make a hell of a screenplay. But readers and writers will love the book. The tone of the story is superb, the author writes of painful things without selfconsciousness and explores the experience of growing up a mixed blood Indian in ways that make it real for any audience. The characters are memorable, the story of the love between Alley and Sara will touch your heart and the descriptions are poetic. Wise Grandfather will make you laugh. Get to know that special place known as "The Absence of Angels" -- you won't regret it. Penn is an award winning author also, whose other novel (Killing Time With Strangers) won the American Book Award and is also a must-read.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and "so what?", December 18, 2009

By 

Sadie Storm "Sadie" (Spring, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Absence of Angels: A Novel (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series) (Paperback)

This book was recommended by a friend who teaches Native American literature. But I found it to be very boring. I do understand its concept of magical realism and the cyclic nature of Native American writers; however, the writing style is weak, and the author is metaphor happy. The metaphors get in the way of a clear reading dragging the reader down. The story is not well told, even allowing for the style of Native American writers. The reader is left saying "so what?"

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "This is a must buy", June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Absence of Angels (Hardcover)

As the pages fly by, your pulse begins to quicken, your heart starts to race, you wish you could be inside these wonderful pages.