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desiree930 's review for:
The Smell of Other People's Houses
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Wow. This book is beautiful.
I grew up in Alaska. I spent my childhood in Southeast Alaska and later on lived in Fairbanks and the Anchorage area. I grew up in a fishing village. My father worked in both the logging and fishing industries, and was known to hunt now and again. My husband is a member of the Alaskan Native community. Never before have I read a book that felt so familiar to me. I felt like I knew every one of these characters, like they were my friends, my neighbors.
My husband and I moved away from Alaska a few years back, and this is the first time I’ve really felt even a little homesick. I will say it again. This book was beautiful.
If I had to talk about all of the ways that I felt connected to this book I would have my own book. The thing I appreciated the most was the way that the author was able to explore sensitive subjects like race, religion, and domestic violence in a way that was authentic and at the same time not judgmental. In her acknowledgements, the author thanks friends of hers from the Athabaskan and Inupiat communities for sharing their experiences with her as a part of her research for the book. I really appreciated that.
And for anyone saying that this story seems far-fetched in the way that it weaves together all these different character’s stories into one narrative, let me share a little story.
A couple of weeks ago, a coworker of my husband’s was asking us about our hometown up in Alaska. When my husband told him what the name of the town was, the friend said, “That’s what I thought. I have two friends going up there for Christmas.”
Apparently, they had actually lived in this small town some years back. Then the friend mentioned that one of them drove delivery for the local pizzeria. That pizzeria was my first real job in high school, and my sister was the manager there later on. So these people know my sister and also are friends with someone who is friends with my husband in a completely different state. Moral of the story? It’s a small world and people are more closely connected than may be apparent.
Anyway, to say this book is one of my new favorites is understating things. I love this book. I can’t wait to read it again.
I grew up in Alaska. I spent my childhood in Southeast Alaska and later on lived in Fairbanks and the Anchorage area. I grew up in a fishing village. My father worked in both the logging and fishing industries, and was known to hunt now and again. My husband is a member of the Alaskan Native community. Never before have I read a book that felt so familiar to me. I felt like I knew every one of these characters, like they were my friends, my neighbors.
My husband and I moved away from Alaska a few years back, and this is the first time I’ve really felt even a little homesick. I will say it again. This book was beautiful.
If I had to talk about all of the ways that I felt connected to this book I would have my own book. The thing I appreciated the most was the way that the author was able to explore sensitive subjects like race, religion, and domestic violence in a way that was authentic and at the same time not judgmental. In her acknowledgements, the author thanks friends of hers from the Athabaskan and Inupiat communities for sharing their experiences with her as a part of her research for the book. I really appreciated that.
And for anyone saying that this story seems far-fetched in the way that it weaves together all these different character’s stories into one narrative, let me share a little story.
A couple of weeks ago, a coworker of my husband’s was asking us about our hometown up in Alaska. When my husband told him what the name of the town was, the friend said, “That’s what I thought. I have two friends going up there for Christmas.”
Apparently, they had actually lived in this small town some years back. Then the friend mentioned that one of them drove delivery for the local pizzeria. That pizzeria was my first real job in high school, and my sister was the manager there later on. So these people know my sister and also are friends with someone who is friends with my husband in a completely different state. Moral of the story? It’s a small world and people are more closely connected than may be apparent.
Anyway, to say this book is one of my new favorites is understating things. I love this book. I can’t wait to read it again.