Genre Fiction
![Morgan Talty - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_morgan_talty.jpg)
Night of the Living Rez
Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy. In twelve striking, luminescent stories, author Morgan Talty-with searing humor, abiding compassion, and deep insight-breathes life into tales of family and a community as they struggle with a painful past and an uncertain future. A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family's unraveling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer's projects the past onto her grandson; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs. A collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of an Indigenous community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.
Editorial Reviews
"Talty's debut collection, full of surprising drama, offers a fresh view of the precarious lives of marginalized people in the 21st century."
― The New York Times
"These stories took me in the same way Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son did when I first read it. The comparison here is meant in every way to praise Talty as a writer, and I'm sure I won't be the only one who says so, partially because of his emotional precision, his stark, unflinching, droll, intoxicating style, and also because of a certain drug/addiction element at play here. But as I got deeper into the work, into the book, and came to understand these lives and this community, the further away it felt from my initial comparison with Johnson, and the more familiar it felt―our Native communities being bound by countless common threads, strengths and afflictions both―and only then did I understand the distinct brilliance of Talty's voice as its own, and ours. I knew and felt for these people. Wanted to and knew I couldn't help them, even as they did me. There is so much brutal, raw, and beautiful power in these stories. I kept wanting to read and know more about these peoples' lives, how they ended up where they ended up, how they would get out, how they wouldn't. It is difficult to be so honest, and funny, and sad, at once, in any kind of work. Reading this book, I literally laughed and cried."
― Tommy Orange, author of There There
"Morgan Talty's Night of the Living Rez is a beautifully crafted, raw and intimate book about youth, friendship, and family on the reservation. These stories are profoundly moving and essential, rendered with precision and intimacy. Talty is a powerful new voice in Native American fiction."
― Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Removed
"A perfect mix of funny, sad, timely, and intense, this one has something for everyone."
― The Boston Globe
"A blazing new talent."
― Oprah Daily
"Astounding. . . . accomplished. . . . Night of the Living Rez is proof that Talty is an important new writer to watch."
― Esquire
"Unearths grace amid strife. . . . Talty, with his ear for natural, almost musical dialogue, compels you to keep listening."
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― The New York Times
"These stories took me in the same way Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son did when I first read it. The comparison here is meant in every way to praise Talty as a writer, and I'm sure I won't be the only one who says so, partially because of his emotional precision, his stark, unflinching, droll, intoxicating style, and also because of a certain drug/addiction element at play here. But as I got deeper into the work, into the book, and came to understand these lives and this community, the further away it felt from my initial comparison with Johnson, and the more familiar it felt―our Native communities being bound by countless common threads, strengths and afflictions both―and only then did I understand the distinct brilliance of Talty's voice as its own, and ours. I knew and felt for these people. Wanted to and knew I couldn't help them, even as they did me. There is so much brutal, raw, and beautiful power in these stories. I kept wanting to read and know more about these peoples' lives, how they ended up where they ended up, how they would get out, how they wouldn't. It is difficult to be so honest, and funny, and sad, at once, in any kind of work. Reading this book, I literally laughed and cried."
― Tommy Orange, author of There There
"Morgan Talty's Night of the Living Rez is a beautifully crafted, raw and intimate book about youth, friendship, and family on the reservation. These stories are profoundly moving and essential, rendered with precision and intimacy. Talty is a powerful new voice in Native American fiction."
― Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Removed
"A perfect mix of funny, sad, timely, and intense, this one has something for everyone."
― The Boston Globe
"A blazing new talent."
― Oprah Daily
"Astounding. . . . accomplished. . . . Night of the Living Rez is proof that Talty is an important new writer to watch."
― Esquire
"Unearths grace amid strife. . . . Talty, with his ear for natural, almost musical dialogue, compels you to keep listening."
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