Customer Reviews

Indiana, Indiana

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INDIANA, INDIANA is simply a gorgeous novel. The writing is spare yet lyrical. There are a few Faulknerian moments, but by and large Hunt achieves grace through juxtaposition and empathy rather than through syntactical complexity. There is no confusion, beyond the opening pages, about what is happening, or to whom; a critical plot point--the fate of Noah's wife--is revealed slowly, but the broad outlines are clear from the start.

The mystery, if it be mystery, is a man's relationship with land, with loneliness, and above all with time.

This is the book that William Maxwell or Wendell Berry would have written had either been a surrealist. The only other contemporary American novel I can think to compare it with is Gene Wolfe's underappreciated PEACE.

When I began reading this book, my first though was "This is Faulkner." The book has a very sad feel to it--one that radiates from the pages. You can feel the cold from the Indiana winter plains, the pain from loss, yet every so often, you notice you have a smile on your face at the recollections of the past. A quick read, it is worth checking out.