Monday, May 04, 2009

The Buffalo Soldier - Chris Bohjalian

I liked the first Bohjalian book I read - Midwives very much. It took a difficult topic and presented it with a narrative and a variety of voices. The Buffalo Soldier is similar. As I was reading this book, I kept wondering why I hadn't read more of Bohjalian after I finished Midwives. The story moves along slowly, exploring the story from several viewpoints. Each chapter is written from a different point of view, and normally that is something that I hate. Normally, I have trouble remembering which character is in the lead at the moment. But in this book, Bohjalian brings out the character in more than what is in their head or the events they lead. The chapters have a different feel based on which character is in the lead. But the entire book feels like flowing down a stream - moving along toward the final moments - but not urgently, just drifting.

I'll be picking up more of Bohjalian either at the library or the bookstore.