Review of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie.
Sherman Alexie's debiut The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven gives its readers an insight into the contemporary Native American life. The book contains 22 stories revolving around events on and off the Spokane Indian reservation in the state of Washington. The collection does not seem to have one prominent character, but a bunch of Alexie's "cousins." He must have known them well at the time of his growing up as well as at the time of their maturity, as some of the stories change the time perspective, recalling events preceded by gaps of several years. Also there is no coherent story line that would connect them one way or another. Instead, the writer treats the formal aspect of the collection as its characters treat life, with a big dose of amused tolerance. The life depicted in the stories is slow-paced and uneventful according to the standards from outside of the reservation, but through its irony and great sense of humor, Alexie manages to keep us interested. .
I will not be tempted to put Alexie's book into the literary context by comparing it with works by Louise Erdrich and other well known authors from "The ethnic shelf", as I am not knowledgeable enough, but also because that could undermine the value of the collection by showing its (natural) debut imperfections. I like the book immensely for what it tries to be - an honest artistic expression by somebody who has something to say about his life experiences. Another thing is that, because of the indigenous subject matter, the harsh reality of the reservation, Alexie gets the reader's immediate attention and an automatic approval. But his obvious talent does not need that. The value of the collection lies in its irony, wit and a poetry. What is also successfully done in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, is confronting the past Indian tradition with today's life on the reservation.