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Crooked Hallelujah
It's 1974 in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and fifteen-year-old Justine grows up in a family of tough, complicated, and loyal women, presided over by her mother, Lula, and Granny. After Justine's father abandoned the family, Lula became a devout member of the Holiness Church - a community that Justine at times finds stifling and terrifying. But Justine does her best as a devoted daughter, until an act of violence sends her on a different path forever. Crooked Hallelujah tells the stories of Justine--a mixed-blood Cherokee woman-- and her daughter, Reney, as they move from Eastern Oklahoma's Indian Country in the hopes of starting a new, more stable life in Texas amid the oil bust of the 1980s. However, life in Texas isn't easy, and Reney feels unmoored from her family in Indian Country. Against the vivid backdrop of the Red River, we see their struggle to survive in a world--of unreliable men and near-Biblical natural forces, like wildfires and tornados--intent on stripping away their connections to one another and their very ideas of home.
In lush and empathic prose, Kelli Jo Ford depicts what this family of proud, stubborn, Cherokee women sacrifice for those they love, amid larger forces of history, religion, class, and culture. This is a big-hearted and ambitious novel of the powerful bonds between mothers and daughters by an exquisite and rare new talent.
In lush and empathic prose, Kelli Jo Ford depicts what this family of proud, stubborn, Cherokee women sacrifice for those they love, amid larger forces of history, religion, class, and culture. This is a big-hearted and ambitious novel of the powerful bonds between mothers and daughters by an exquisite and rare new talent.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2020
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12.7k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
May 22, 2022
5 "humbling, apocalyptic, mesmerizing" stars !!
8th Favorite Read of 2021 Award
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic for an e-copy. I am providing my honest review. This was released July 2020.
Words will only hint at the esteem that I hold this novel. This is a book that contains stories of the Cherokee, Choctaw and Whites that live in small town Oklahoma and Rural northwest Texas. As single stories you may be moved, you may learn and you may access empathy, compassion and perhaps (if you are honest) some harsh judgements of the people that lay within. The whole surpasses the singles and this is an immense book of hardships, survivorhood, beauty, spiritual bliss, madness and the deepest and cruelest of loves. The prose is repetitive, gorgeous, sloppy, wise and contradictory. This is how stories are told in real life. Mouth to mouth, on a rocking chair, emotions flitting to and fro from the deepest of serenities to the wildest of rages.
I am amazed at the author's vision, moved by her narratives and grateful for this creation. Ms. Ford you have made my heart quaver, my soul both sink and soar and have immersed me in a world that is both desolate with little yet so full of the deepest love.
Simply Astonishing !
8th Favorite Read of 2021 Award
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic for an e-copy. I am providing my honest review. This was released July 2020.
Words will only hint at the esteem that I hold this novel. This is a book that contains stories of the Cherokee, Choctaw and Whites that live in small town Oklahoma and Rural northwest Texas. As single stories you may be moved, you may learn and you may access empathy, compassion and perhaps (if you are honest) some harsh judgements of the people that lay within. The whole surpasses the singles and this is an immense book of hardships, survivorhood, beauty, spiritual bliss, madness and the deepest and cruelest of loves. The prose is repetitive, gorgeous, sloppy, wise and contradictory. This is how stories are told in real life. Mouth to mouth, on a rocking chair, emotions flitting to and fro from the deepest of serenities to the wildest of rages.
I am amazed at the author's vision, moved by her narratives and grateful for this creation. Ms. Ford you have made my heart quaver, my soul both sink and soar and have immersed me in a world that is both desolate with little yet so full of the deepest love.
Simply Astonishing !
July 30, 2020
I was intrigued by the premise of this story concerning four generations of Cherokee women. It’s a character study, showing us how each generation struggles to get by, how no one’s dreams play out. The men in their lives are nothing but disappointments, “sorry choices” as Justine calls them.
I found the prose dry as dirt. And I had trouble feeling like I got to know any of the women. It’s a slow moving book but at the same time it jumps around in time. It just felt disjointed. You’re given glimpses into each woman’s life, but no cohesive story. It’s also a very depressing book.
And as for the main reason I chose to read this book, that it concerned Indian women, well, there is no sense of identity or heritage here. All you see is their poverty.
Overall, this was a big disappointment.
My thanks to netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.
I found the prose dry as dirt. And I had trouble feeling like I got to know any of the women. It’s a slow moving book but at the same time it jumps around in time. It just felt disjointed. You’re given glimpses into each woman’s life, but no cohesive story. It’s also a very depressing book.
And as for the main reason I chose to read this book, that it concerned Indian women, well, there is no sense of identity or heritage here. All you see is their poverty.
Overall, this was a big disappointment.
My thanks to netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.
May 12, 2024
Crooked Hallelujah is brave novel that sheds light on contemporary indigenous American life in deeply meaningful ways.
This novel is to be praised first and foremost for its complicated, heartbreaking examination of the limited choices women have when they live in poverty--especially when they are raising children in circumstances that offer very little hope. There are so few literary novels written from the perspective of poverty, when it's one of the existential crises of our age. The novel gives nuance and humanity to characters who are living on the bleeding edge.
The novel is also to be cheered because it's a serious literary work that tackles head-on the sometimes-redemptive, frequently-damaging nature of religious conviction in modern life. Not since Jamie Quatro's Fire Sermon have I seen the topic of religious faith dealt with so well in literary fiction (or at all, frankly). The outsized effect that religion has on American culture today is almost never given its proper weight in contemporary fiction, and I welcomed the insights Ford wrote into her story here.
The novel is also to be praised for the realistic way it portrays the present-day outcomes of colonialism and the deliberate erasure of Cherokee culture--not as a history lesson, or to fulfill the expectations of non-indigenous readers, but for the way real lives have been affected by the real loss of tradition and identity.
I know that "brave" is a word so overused in author blurbs that it might provoke cynicism in a review, but if you can remember the original meaning of "brave," that's what this novel is.
This novel is to be praised first and foremost for its complicated, heartbreaking examination of the limited choices women have when they live in poverty--especially when they are raising children in circumstances that offer very little hope. There are so few literary novels written from the perspective of poverty, when it's one of the existential crises of our age. The novel gives nuance and humanity to characters who are living on the bleeding edge.
The novel is also to be cheered because it's a serious literary work that tackles head-on the sometimes-redemptive, frequently-damaging nature of religious conviction in modern life. Not since Jamie Quatro's Fire Sermon have I seen the topic of religious faith dealt with so well in literary fiction (or at all, frankly). The outsized effect that religion has on American culture today is almost never given its proper weight in contemporary fiction, and I welcomed the insights Ford wrote into her story here.
The novel is also to be praised for the realistic way it portrays the present-day outcomes of colonialism and the deliberate erasure of Cherokee culture--not as a history lesson, or to fulfill the expectations of non-indigenous readers, but for the way real lives have been affected by the real loss of tradition and identity.
I know that "brave" is a word so overused in author blurbs that it might provoke cynicism in a review, but if you can remember the original meaning of "brave," that's what this novel is.
July 12, 2020
"Can I love anything the way that I used to love the mystery of my mother, her strength in suffering?"
This novel follows four generations of Cherokee women from the 1970s into the near future, mostly focusing on their relationships with each other. One mother, Justine, leaves the comfort of her family to try to make a better living in Texas with her daughter Reney, and those two are largely the focus.
There is a thread of Pentecostalism throughout as Justine's mother attends a Holiness church, meaning long dresses and speaking in tongues and a lot of rules. That sets the stage for quite a bit of rebellion and subterfuge.
I've seen so many reviews from readers complaining there are "not enough" native elements, so disappointed these strong women are not "being more Cherokee" and how it is "really just about poor people." I don't even know where to start with readers who punish a book for their own lack of understanding. Others were upset over having to work to figure out the narrator in new sections. Please ignore those reviews if you are interested in the lives of strong women with a lot working against them, in a bleak landscape like Oklahoma and Texas, and if you're not afraid of a little work on the reader's part.
This book comes out July 14 and I had a copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
This novel follows four generations of Cherokee women from the 1970s into the near future, mostly focusing on their relationships with each other. One mother, Justine, leaves the comfort of her family to try to make a better living in Texas with her daughter Reney, and those two are largely the focus.
There is a thread of Pentecostalism throughout as Justine's mother attends a Holiness church, meaning long dresses and speaking in tongues and a lot of rules. That sets the stage for quite a bit of rebellion and subterfuge.
I've seen so many reviews from readers complaining there are "not enough" native elements, so disappointed these strong women are not "being more Cherokee" and how it is "really just about poor people." I don't even know where to start with readers who punish a book for their own lack of understanding. Others were upset over having to work to figure out the narrator in new sections. Please ignore those reviews if you are interested in the lives of strong women with a lot working against them, in a bleak landscape like Oklahoma and Texas, and if you're not afraid of a little work on the reader's part.
This book comes out July 14 and I had a copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
June 26, 2020
I was so excited to read this, and of course, it did not disappoint!
This story follows two Cherokee women—Justine, who gets pregnant at fifteen, and her daughter, Reney—as they both grow up, and move away from, and return to, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The book is structured so that each chapter either follows Justine, Reney, or a handful of other characters that surround their lives. Ford's writing is really heartfelt, and while it is not overly descriptive, I was really touched by moments of intense love between Justine, Reney, and their family members. This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings and really connect you to a family of strong, no-nonsense women.
I really enjoyed getting to know individuals in the communities Justine and Reney inhabited, even if it did take away from their stories. It helped to flesh out the arid, hard-scrabble environment in which they lived. However, I do think a few of the stories that we follow end very suddenly, or remain irrelevant to the overall storyline (such as the brief section about Justine's father-in-law).
I must comment on some other reviews that I've read that complain about the lack of 'culture' in this book. Yes, this is a story about Indigenous women, but just because there aren't blatant displays of the stereotypical visions of Indigenous culture, that doesn't mean this book is without markers of what it means to be Indigenous in the United States today. I find it very odd that mostly white reviewers are attempting to define what culture might mean for native people within the United States. If anything, this book should serve to display what it is like to be Indigenous in the United States to a reader. While I am no expert in Indigenous traditions and culture, I noticed MANY clear mentions of Indigenous peoples' traditions, so I honestly have no idea what people’s complaints are about.
Also, we see people struggling with poverty, lack of access to healthcare, alcoholism, and abuse, all of which mark reservations and Indigenous communities in the United States. Because of the abuse levied on Indigenous communities by White settlers and American politicians and military, these issues now affect Indigenous people at much higher rates than other groups in the United States. I think it is important to recognize this, and understand and take responsibility for the abuses levied by this country against Indigenous people, even if it isn't directly mentioned in this book.
I found this story to be a beautiful, heartfelt exploration of what it means to be Indigenous today, when these issues affect you every day, and the traditions of your ancestors are fading away in younger generations.
Rant over! Please read this book—it is a beautiful story!
This story follows two Cherokee women—Justine, who gets pregnant at fifteen, and her daughter, Reney—as they both grow up, and move away from, and return to, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The book is structured so that each chapter either follows Justine, Reney, or a handful of other characters that surround their lives. Ford's writing is really heartfelt, and while it is not overly descriptive, I was really touched by moments of intense love between Justine, Reney, and their family members. This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings and really connect you to a family of strong, no-nonsense women.
I really enjoyed getting to know individuals in the communities Justine and Reney inhabited, even if it did take away from their stories. It helped to flesh out the arid, hard-scrabble environment in which they lived. However, I do think a few of the stories that we follow end very suddenly, or remain irrelevant to the overall storyline (such as the brief section about Justine's father-in-law).
I must comment on some other reviews that I've read that complain about the lack of 'culture' in this book. Yes, this is a story about Indigenous women, but just because there aren't blatant displays of the stereotypical visions of Indigenous culture, that doesn't mean this book is without markers of what it means to be Indigenous in the United States today. I find it very odd that mostly white reviewers are attempting to define what culture might mean for native people within the United States. If anything, this book should serve to display what it is like to be Indigenous in the United States to a reader. While I am no expert in Indigenous traditions and culture, I noticed MANY clear mentions of Indigenous peoples' traditions, so I honestly have no idea what people’s complaints are about.
Also, we see people struggling with poverty, lack of access to healthcare, alcoholism, and abuse, all of which mark reservations and Indigenous communities in the United States. Because of the abuse levied on Indigenous communities by White settlers and American politicians and military, these issues now affect Indigenous people at much higher rates than other groups in the United States. I think it is important to recognize this, and understand and take responsibility for the abuses levied by this country against Indigenous people, even if it isn't directly mentioned in this book.
I found this story to be a beautiful, heartfelt exploration of what it means to be Indigenous today, when these issues affect you every day, and the traditions of your ancestors are fading away in younger generations.
Rant over! Please read this book—it is a beautiful story!
August 28, 2021
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In Crooked Hallelujah Kelli Jo Ford presents her readers with a nonlinear exploration of the lives of four generations of Cherokee women. Each chapter can be read as a self-contained story, focusing on a particular phase of a character's life (childhood, teenage years, early adulthood, etc). The first chapter gives us a flavour of these women's lives: in 1974 Justine lives with her mother, Lula, and her grandmother, Granny, in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Both Lula and Granny are ardent members of the Holiness Church. Justine, like the rest of her relatives, has to abide her church's strict rules: she has to lead a pious life, dress modestly, conduct herself in a godly manner, say no to the sins of the flesh...the list goes on. Whereas Lula and Granny are passionate about their community, Justine finds herself growing restless. As teased by the novel's summary, an 'act of violence' sets on her own journey, one that sees becoming entangled with layabouts, abusers, and alcoholics. Her daughter, Reney, finds herself following in her mother's steps, ending up with men who are good-for-nothing. Some of the chapters focus on characters who don't seem all that connected to the lives of Justine and Reney, and Granny, easily the most likeable character of the lot, doesn't get enough page-time.
The nonlinearity of these stories was detrimental to my reading experience. Justine and Reney's personalities blurred together, as they both seemed defined by the men they are with. Granny, on the other hand, had some discernible character traits that made into a far more rounded character. Lula remains an undeveloped character, someone who appears know and again as a woman who has been indoctrinated and blinded by her religious (in the first chapter alone she demonstrated some initiative). Justine has some sisters but they might as well not be there as are barely mentioned. The majority of the men were either despicable or incompetent. Then we have this odd chapter which focuses on a Forrest Gump sort of figure that felt really out-of-place (what did he have to do with Justine and Reney's stories?).
I can't say that I found Crooked Hallelujah to be a particularly memorable read. Rocky structure aside the characters and their storylines did not really leave a mark. We have snapshots from Justine and Reney lives, and these often emphasise how rootless they feel, or their questionable taste in men. I wish I'd gotten a stronger impression of the bond between Justine and Reney, or Reney and Granny (Reney tells us that Granny was her soulmate but the two shared very few moments together).
Still, I liked the author's dialogues as she manages to convey different argots and dynamics. Her prose was for the most part okay, but, as I said above, her storyline seemed unfocused and repetitive and her characters were pretty thinly rendered. I can sort of see why so many other reviewers gave this one 3 stars. It isn't necessarily bad but it just never seemed to reach its full potential. Zalika Reid-Benta in Frying Plantain not only implements a similar narrative structure but explores similar themes and dynamics (between mother/daughter, mother/grandmother, grandchild/grandmother) in a much more impactful and meaningful way, so I would probably recommend you pick that one up instead.
“My father wasn't a wound or even a scar, not a black hole or a dry desert. He just wasn't. Not for me anyway. Mom was my sun and my moon. I was her all, too, and that was us.”
In Crooked Hallelujah Kelli Jo Ford presents her readers with a nonlinear exploration of the lives of four generations of Cherokee women. Each chapter can be read as a self-contained story, focusing on a particular phase of a character's life (childhood, teenage years, early adulthood, etc). The first chapter gives us a flavour of these women's lives: in 1974 Justine lives with her mother, Lula, and her grandmother, Granny, in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Both Lula and Granny are ardent members of the Holiness Church. Justine, like the rest of her relatives, has to abide her church's strict rules: she has to lead a pious life, dress modestly, conduct herself in a godly manner, say no to the sins of the flesh...the list goes on. Whereas Lula and Granny are passionate about their community, Justine finds herself growing restless. As teased by the novel's summary, an 'act of violence' sets on her own journey, one that sees becoming entangled with layabouts, abusers, and alcoholics. Her daughter, Reney, finds herself following in her mother's steps, ending up with men who are good-for-nothing. Some of the chapters focus on characters who don't seem all that connected to the lives of Justine and Reney, and Granny, easily the most likeable character of the lot, doesn't get enough page-time.
The nonlinearity of these stories was detrimental to my reading experience. Justine and Reney's personalities blurred together, as they both seemed defined by the men they are with. Granny, on the other hand, had some discernible character traits that made into a far more rounded character. Lula remains an undeveloped character, someone who appears know and again as a woman who has been indoctrinated and blinded by her religious (in the first chapter alone she demonstrated some initiative). Justine has some sisters but they might as well not be there as are barely mentioned. The majority of the men were either despicable or incompetent. Then we have this odd chapter which focuses on a Forrest Gump sort of figure that felt really out-of-place (what did he have to do with Justine and Reney's stories?).
I can't say that I found Crooked Hallelujah to be a particularly memorable read. Rocky structure aside the characters and their storylines did not really leave a mark. We have snapshots from Justine and Reney lives, and these often emphasise how rootless they feel, or their questionable taste in men. I wish I'd gotten a stronger impression of the bond between Justine and Reney, or Reney and Granny (Reney tells us that Granny was her soulmate but the two shared very few moments together).
Still, I liked the author's dialogues as she manages to convey different argots and dynamics. Her prose was for the most part okay, but, as I said above, her storyline seemed unfocused and repetitive and her characters were pretty thinly rendered. I can sort of see why so many other reviewers gave this one 3 stars. It isn't necessarily bad but it just never seemed to reach its full potential. Zalika Reid-Benta in Frying Plantain not only implements a similar narrative structure but explores similar themes and dynamics (between mother/daughter, mother/grandmother, grandchild/grandmother) in a much more impactful and meaningful way, so I would probably recommend you pick that one up instead.
June 3, 2021
I really enjoyed Crooked Hallelujah by Cherokee author Kelli Jo Ford. I thought it was an absolutely fantastic debut novel that gave us a lot of important perspectives on the effects of colonialism & how the strong matriarchal bonds guide generations of Cherokee women through the storm, bonds which both test & strengthen them throughout their journeys.
One of the matriarchs attended an Indigenous Boarding School, and with this experience, loss of their language & the strong religious beliefs passed down through generations, we ultimately witness the very real consequences of what happens to Indigenous identity & tribal ways in the name of colonization.
I felt the prose was lush & resonant without being heavy or over written. I became invested in the stories of these characters & really feel it gave great insights into the very real struggles many Indigenous folks grapple with in this day & age.
PS: I try my best not to read Goodreads reviews of Indigenous literature but sometimes I slip up. It was disturbing to see non-Indigenous folks state that they chose to read this book because it revolves around Indigenous women but they ultimately did not like it because there wasn’t enough Indigenous heritage or identity throughout.
As an Ojibwe woman, not once did I feel this book wasn’t about Cherokee women. It proves the point that many non-Indigenous people think of Indigenous folks as some distant relic, only relevant if we meet the stoic stereotype they’ve built up in their heads.
I’m sorry to disappoint you but we’re real people.
One of the matriarchs attended an Indigenous Boarding School, and with this experience, loss of their language & the strong religious beliefs passed down through generations, we ultimately witness the very real consequences of what happens to Indigenous identity & tribal ways in the name of colonization.
I felt the prose was lush & resonant without being heavy or over written. I became invested in the stories of these characters & really feel it gave great insights into the very real struggles many Indigenous folks grapple with in this day & age.
PS: I try my best not to read Goodreads reviews of Indigenous literature but sometimes I slip up. It was disturbing to see non-Indigenous folks state that they chose to read this book because it revolves around Indigenous women but they ultimately did not like it because there wasn’t enough Indigenous heritage or identity throughout.
As an Ojibwe woman, not once did I feel this book wasn’t about Cherokee women. It proves the point that many non-Indigenous people think of Indigenous folks as some distant relic, only relevant if we meet the stoic stereotype they’ve built up in their heads.
I’m sorry to disappoint you but we’re real people.
July 25, 2020
This was a tad disjointed and I don't get on well with non linear novels in general, but I am rounding this up to a 4 because it is pretty good for a debut.
December 6, 2019
3.5 stars
For me this was about the complicated and messy relationships that mothers and daughters can sometimes have. None of the woman in this book had an easy life and each grabbed onto a lifeline to get through the hard knocks of life.
For Lula it was religion, for Justine it was men. This was like throwing oil on fire for their relationship.
The forces of nature was also a character all on its own with out of control wild fires, tornados and hard farm living impacting the lives of the characters.
There was a lot less “Cherokee” in the story than what I was expecting with only incidental mentions of the Native American culture. It’s a pity as I think that would have added another dimension to the story.
I can see this author has real talent but I can also see that this is a debut novel. With time I think she will find her stride and I have no hesitation read more of her work.
Netgalley ARC: Expected Publish Date July 2020
For me this was about the complicated and messy relationships that mothers and daughters can sometimes have. None of the woman in this book had an easy life and each grabbed onto a lifeline to get through the hard knocks of life.
For Lula it was religion, for Justine it was men. This was like throwing oil on fire for their relationship.
The forces of nature was also a character all on its own with out of control wild fires, tornados and hard farm living impacting the lives of the characters.
There was a lot less “Cherokee” in the story than what I was expecting with only incidental mentions of the Native American culture. It’s a pity as I think that would have added another dimension to the story.
I can see this author has real talent but I can also see that this is a debut novel. With time I think she will find her stride and I have no hesitation read more of her work.
Netgalley ARC: Expected Publish Date July 2020
September 18, 2020
This is a book about family, or rather a book about mother-daughter-relationships. Following four generations of Cherokee women in their attempts to live their lives and to make better choices possible for their daughters, this book is focussed on the peculiar relationships women can have with their mothers. The story is told chronologically but jumping forward in time, sometimes in first person, sometimes in close third person, and as such fairly introspective. Kelli Jo Ford chose to tell every chapter from the perspective of the daughter in the relationship she focusses for this moment – and I adored that choice.
I thought this was excellent – especially when Ford focussed the difficult relationship between Lula (hyper religious and often harsh) and her daughter Justine (who has her own daughter at 16). I loved the parallels between these two women who seem at first glance very different but who both try their very best to change their daughters’ trajectories for the better. Both make the best of the limited choices they have – and this limitation of choices due to poverty is at the core of this book. Justine who is prickly, difficult, lonely, strong remained my favourite until the end.
There were two things that did not completely work for me. There is a chapter in the middle of the book that is only tangentially related to the rest of the book and that I found gratuitous in its depiction of homophobic violence. I also thought that the final chapter taking place in the near future in a climate change ravaged Texas, did not completely work. I understand the thematic relevance and I loved the mirroring Ford achieved here, I just would have liked to not have it take place in the future. But even if I have slight problems, this book was for many pages absolutely brilliant and I love the tenderness Ford’s writing has for her characters. Even when the women fight, they always, obviously love each other and only want to help each other.
Content warnings: rape, miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, Christian fundamentalism, death of loved ones, death of animals (horse), teenaged pregnancy, robbery, homophobia, epilepsy
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and other thoughts on books on my blog.
I thought this was excellent – especially when Ford focussed the difficult relationship between Lula (hyper religious and often harsh) and her daughter Justine (who has her own daughter at 16). I loved the parallels between these two women who seem at first glance very different but who both try their very best to change their daughters’ trajectories for the better. Both make the best of the limited choices they have – and this limitation of choices due to poverty is at the core of this book. Justine who is prickly, difficult, lonely, strong remained my favourite until the end.
There were two things that did not completely work for me. There is a chapter in the middle of the book that is only tangentially related to the rest of the book and that I found gratuitous in its depiction of homophobic violence. I also thought that the final chapter taking place in the near future in a climate change ravaged Texas, did not completely work. I understand the thematic relevance and I loved the mirroring Ford achieved here, I just would have liked to not have it take place in the future. But even if I have slight problems, this book was for many pages absolutely brilliant and I love the tenderness Ford’s writing has for her characters. Even when the women fight, they always, obviously love each other and only want to help each other.
Content warnings: rape, miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, Christian fundamentalism, death of loved ones, death of animals (horse), teenaged pregnancy, robbery, homophobia, epilepsy
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and other thoughts on books on my blog.
July 4, 2020
At first, I was really confused by this novel, and my initial review reflected that. But I rewrote the review because I couldn’t stop thinking about the novel and 24 hours later I had kind of a revelation: the novel is about generational trauma. It follows, to varying degrees, four generations of Cherokee women: Granny, Lula, Justine, and Reney, as they struggle with the abusive relationships they endure. Often these are romantic relationships with men, but the women’s relationships with each other and especially with their Holiness church are also more or less abusive.
Granny’s white husband was abusive; Lula’s husband disappeared, and while she seeks comfort in the church, it also prevents her from getting treatment for epilepsy that could have greatly improved her quality of life; Lula is abusive at times to Justine; Justine and Reney both end up in abusive romantic relationships. The structure is also weird - not exactly chronological, and sometimes veering off into side plots narrated by minor characters. The changes in point of view can be confusing. The last part of the book becomes apocalyptic and starts to feel like science fiction. However, the characters are well-developed, sympathetic, and complex. I really enjoyed the novel and its emotionally evocative style, even as I struggled to understand it.
I read reviews by other readers complaining that despite the characters being Cherokee, there wasn’t “enough culture” for their tastes. My initial reaction was to dismiss those concerns - after all, if the author is Cherokee writing about Cherokee characters, who am I as a white reader to question her depiction of Cherokee culture? And after all, this is only one story, so it doesn’t necessarily speak for all Native Americans or even all Cherokee people.
But I kept thinking about a quote from close to the end of the novel. Here’s where I might get into some spoilers. Justine is thinking about her mother and grandmother: “Granny had been brought up in Indian orphanages and, later, Indian boarding schools. She’d never taught her grandchildren the language beyond basic greetings. She simply said that life was harder for those who spoke it” (p. 182). (Lula, too, attended an Indian boarding school, mentioned on p. 4.) Justine reflects on her lifelong intentions to learn the language that never came to fruition. She thinks about how her daughter has finally broken the cycle of abuse by completely leaving the area.
I thought about the side plot that shows Justine’s white father-in-law Ferrell’s point of view, in which he neglects his wife to death and never calls Justine by her name - she is always “the Indian.” The side plot about the lesbian couple assaulted by meth addicts, and the later mention of Jett, the high school football player that Reney makes out with once, who “turned into a meth head.”
And I finally realized that this novel is about generational trauma. It’s fundamentally based on the trauma inflicted by a white society that tried to erase Native American culture through orphanages and boarding schools and how that abuse started the cycle of abuse that many Native Americans are unable to free themselves from today. In my eyes, the fundamentalist church that many characters in this novel turn to for comfort merely perpetuates the abuse by oppressing women and forcing all its members into a narrow-minded set of rules that even prevents them from accessing basic health care. Both white and Native American men in the novel continue to abuse and denigrate Native American women. If there aren’t “enough” stereotypical markers of Native American culture here for some readers, it’s because the white supremacy that permeates our culture has robbed generations of Native Americans of their own language and traditions. This is the reality of life for some Native Americans in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. I could write so much more about other themes in the novel, but this seems like the most important one to highlight in my review.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for the free book. I’m so happy to have been introduced to Kelli Jo Ford and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Granny’s white husband was abusive; Lula’s husband disappeared, and while she seeks comfort in the church, it also prevents her from getting treatment for epilepsy that could have greatly improved her quality of life; Lula is abusive at times to Justine; Justine and Reney both end up in abusive romantic relationships. The structure is also weird - not exactly chronological, and sometimes veering off into side plots narrated by minor characters. The changes in point of view can be confusing. The last part of the book becomes apocalyptic and starts to feel like science fiction. However, the characters are well-developed, sympathetic, and complex. I really enjoyed the novel and its emotionally evocative style, even as I struggled to understand it.
I read reviews by other readers complaining that despite the characters being Cherokee, there wasn’t “enough culture” for their tastes. My initial reaction was to dismiss those concerns - after all, if the author is Cherokee writing about Cherokee characters, who am I as a white reader to question her depiction of Cherokee culture? And after all, this is only one story, so it doesn’t necessarily speak for all Native Americans or even all Cherokee people.
But I kept thinking about a quote from close to the end of the novel. Here’s where I might get into some spoilers. Justine is thinking about her mother and grandmother: “Granny had been brought up in Indian orphanages and, later, Indian boarding schools. She’d never taught her grandchildren the language beyond basic greetings. She simply said that life was harder for those who spoke it” (p. 182). (Lula, too, attended an Indian boarding school, mentioned on p. 4.) Justine reflects on her lifelong intentions to learn the language that never came to fruition. She thinks about how her daughter has finally broken the cycle of abuse by completely leaving the area.
I thought about the side plot that shows Justine’s white father-in-law Ferrell’s point of view, in which he neglects his wife to death and never calls Justine by her name - she is always “the Indian.” The side plot about the lesbian couple assaulted by meth addicts, and the later mention of Jett, the high school football player that Reney makes out with once, who “turned into a meth head.”
And I finally realized that this novel is about generational trauma. It’s fundamentally based on the trauma inflicted by a white society that tried to erase Native American culture through orphanages and boarding schools and how that abuse started the cycle of abuse that many Native Americans are unable to free themselves from today. In my eyes, the fundamentalist church that many characters in this novel turn to for comfort merely perpetuates the abuse by oppressing women and forcing all its members into a narrow-minded set of rules that even prevents them from accessing basic health care. Both white and Native American men in the novel continue to abuse and denigrate Native American women. If there aren’t “enough” stereotypical markers of Native American culture here for some readers, it’s because the white supremacy that permeates our culture has robbed generations of Native Americans of their own language and traditions. This is the reality of life for some Native Americans in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. I could write so much more about other themes in the novel, but this seems like the most important one to highlight in my review.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for the free book. I’m so happy to have been introduced to Kelli Jo Ford and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
February 20, 2020
These are stories of generations linked, mater to mater to mater. Granny begets Lulu who begets Justine who begets Reney . . . Oklahoma, Texas to Portland, Oregon. . . it is a long road for these ladies as they try to figure out the maternal bonds they have (or don't) and how Granny's strict evangelistic religion plays (or doesn't) into the challenges and solutions of their lives.
The men in their world take a backseat - sperm donors, some, and some like Uncle Thorpe are controlling parts of the narrative to which that younger generation refuses to bow. . .some of the men are ineffectual - like tornado-tossed Pitch, or are sweet, like Moses. . . and once on stage, scene done, they are gone. ?What happened to them? The donkey versus calves element was another confusion for me - like Moses, it was never mentioned again, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from that information.
As the story unfolded earnestly I tried to hang on and find the cohesive thread that would unravel my confusion. I never found it. I wanted more history, indigenous, in-looking-out for a change and with all the mentions of Cherokee, Choctaw, feathers and beads, I thought there would be that. Instead, these four ladies live through the decades and don't seem to benefit by their indian-ness, rather they were no different than poor Americans throughout the states. Could be me, though, not on the right horse.
The men in their world take a backseat - sperm donors, some, and some like Uncle Thorpe are controlling parts of the narrative to which that younger generation refuses to bow. . .some of the men are ineffectual - like tornado-tossed Pitch, or are sweet, like Moses. . . and once on stage, scene done, they are gone. ?What happened to them? The donkey versus calves element was another confusion for me - like Moses, it was never mentioned again, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from that information.
As the story unfolded earnestly I tried to hang on and find the cohesive thread that would unravel my confusion. I never found it. I wanted more history, indigenous, in-looking-out for a change and with all the mentions of Cherokee, Choctaw, feathers and beads, I thought there would be that. Instead, these four ladies live through the decades and don't seem to benefit by their indian-ness, rather they were no different than poor Americans throughout the states. Could be me, though, not on the right horse.
July 22, 2020
Crooked Hallelujah is Kelli Jo Ford’s debut novel journaling the lives and interpersonal relationships of four generations of Cherokee women.
The story begins with, part-Cherokee, Justine relating her childhood growing up in a small home with her mother, Lula, and her grandmother, Granny. Justine rebels because of the strict rules imposed on her due to her mother and grandmother’s association with the Holiness Church. Reney, Justine’s daughter, is born into this dysfunctional household and continues the complicated, convoluted existence of women in difficult relationships with each other and impossible relationships with the men in their lives.
The premise sounds promising and led me to read this book. The execution is less promising. I, incorrectly, assumed that Native traditions would play a prominent role in the storyline. Though the community living conditions are introduced in a vague manner, the novel really has nothing to do with Native traditions. The book is hard to follow due to unexpected, unclear shifts in time, perspective and voice with no apparent rhyme or reason. Characters and storylines are introduced but left incomplete. There is no clear plot, and the ending appears to have loose, or no, connection to the rest of the novel. The vivid depictions of the scenery in the various regions of the country visited throughout the novel, and it’s impact on the characters and story, along with the character development of the women, are redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Crooked Hallelujah due to the chaotic storylines and nonexistent plot and rate it 2 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
The story begins with, part-Cherokee, Justine relating her childhood growing up in a small home with her mother, Lula, and her grandmother, Granny. Justine rebels because of the strict rules imposed on her due to her mother and grandmother’s association with the Holiness Church. Reney, Justine’s daughter, is born into this dysfunctional household and continues the complicated, convoluted existence of women in difficult relationships with each other and impossible relationships with the men in their lives.
The premise sounds promising and led me to read this book. The execution is less promising. I, incorrectly, assumed that Native traditions would play a prominent role in the storyline. Though the community living conditions are introduced in a vague manner, the novel really has nothing to do with Native traditions. The book is hard to follow due to unexpected, unclear shifts in time, perspective and voice with no apparent rhyme or reason. Characters and storylines are introduced but left incomplete. There is no clear plot, and the ending appears to have loose, or no, connection to the rest of the novel. The vivid depictions of the scenery in the various regions of the country visited throughout the novel, and it’s impact on the characters and story, along with the character development of the women, are redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Crooked Hallelujah due to the chaotic storylines and nonexistent plot and rate it 2 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
July 20, 2020
There are three attributes that really engage me in a work of fiction: gorgeous language, memorable characters, complex insights into the human condition. When these three sing, and the work happens also to be set in my home territory of Eastern Oklahoma so that I'm moved by not only the authenticity of the characters' lives but also the resonance and familiarity of place, well, that's a book I fall in love with. And I'm in love with Crooked Hallelujah.
I'll not recap the main characters and story line(s), which are so readily available elsewhere, but will just say how much I admire Kelli Jo Ford's mastery of craft and her compassion for her characters' complicated, buffeted, filled-with-love-and-trouble lives. She's completely unsentimental, yet the book is shot through with the deepest richness of feeling. There were passages where I laughed out loud, others where I was moved with throat-aching sorrow, and others that made me feel both.
Plus, I love a good novel-in-stories, and Ford does it so well. I enjoyed clocking her shifts from character to character, from first to third person, past tense to present tense, and back again. She handles these shifts seamlessly, and each shift seems perfect for the particular story she has to tell. Cumulatively, the stories create a beautiful and true portrait of a family, a people, a time and place.
Two places, actually, for North Texas is very different from the Cherokee hills of Eastern Oklahoma, as the novel makes clear. But these women's lives and their unwavering, unquestioned and unquestioning love for one another transcend time and space. I lived in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, for many years. I've watched the sun set over Lake Tenkiller. I was raised on Revelation in an evangelical church. I've known and am kin to women whose lives are set around by bad choices and less-than-admirable men. And all the way through reading Crooked Hallelujah, my mind kept saying truth, truth, truth, truth.
The penultimate story, "Consider the Lilies," made me just have to lay the book down and weep. There's a line there that resonates with the kind of sharp-edged humor and heartbreak that are laced all through this book: "Everywhere in this whole hospital are sad Indians crying but nobody thought to make a commercial to save our lives, so we keep playing different takes on the same scene nobody watches but us."
Truth.
A big hallelujah for this wonderful book.
I'll not recap the main characters and story line(s), which are so readily available elsewhere, but will just say how much I admire Kelli Jo Ford's mastery of craft and her compassion for her characters' complicated, buffeted, filled-with-love-and-trouble lives. She's completely unsentimental, yet the book is shot through with the deepest richness of feeling. There were passages where I laughed out loud, others where I was moved with throat-aching sorrow, and others that made me feel both.
Plus, I love a good novel-in-stories, and Ford does it so well. I enjoyed clocking her shifts from character to character, from first to third person, past tense to present tense, and back again. She handles these shifts seamlessly, and each shift seems perfect for the particular story she has to tell. Cumulatively, the stories create a beautiful and true portrait of a family, a people, a time and place.
Two places, actually, for North Texas is very different from the Cherokee hills of Eastern Oklahoma, as the novel makes clear. But these women's lives and their unwavering, unquestioned and unquestioning love for one another transcend time and space. I lived in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, for many years. I've watched the sun set over Lake Tenkiller. I was raised on Revelation in an evangelical church. I've known and am kin to women whose lives are set around by bad choices and less-than-admirable men. And all the way through reading Crooked Hallelujah, my mind kept saying truth, truth, truth, truth.
The penultimate story, "Consider the Lilies," made me just have to lay the book down and weep. There's a line there that resonates with the kind of sharp-edged humor and heartbreak that are laced all through this book: "Everywhere in this whole hospital are sad Indians crying but nobody thought to make a commercial to save our lives, so we keep playing different takes on the same scene nobody watches but us."
Truth.
A big hallelujah for this wonderful book.
December 14, 2019
[Received an early ARC in exchange for a review]
Flawed but beautiful, Crooked Hallelujah is an intimate road trip of a book portraying the stormy life of three generations of Cherokee (though this fact actually barely features in the narrative itself) women hailing from Oklahoma. Sporadically narrated by a variety of tertiary characters, we most often look through the eyes of either Justine or her daughter Reeny as they each attempt to find their way in the world.
To my mind, two things make this book both special and poignant. One is the sweet simplicity of its prose. There's no overwroughtness here, no artificial desire to dress up the writing in more layers than it needs. Its sharp and uncompromising in parts, and it lays things bare instead of padding them up. Ironically, this results in something that is far from dry or boring or dull despite some part of me actually that it should be boring or dull. I think that is remarkable.
The other one is the characterization itself. Simply put, it feels like the author has really tapped into the minds of Lula, Justine, and Reeny, and like a magnet, we are simply drawn to learn about them. That is how I felt, at least.
Unfortunately, there are also two glaring flaws that kept this book from being truly outstanding. First and foremost, are the narrations from the tertiary (at best) characters like Moses and Ferrel that not only break away from the book's subject matter, but they don't really add anything in return. I kept hoping they would be made relevant, but by the book's end this simply did not happen. I can't help but think those chapters could have been better utilized by exploring more about Reeny, who basically carries the first half of the book and then disappointingly fades for long swathes of the second half.
The second flaw is more insidious. Up until about the halfway point of the novel, I feel like I can put a finger on what the author is trying to do, and the author herself also knows both what she is trying to do as well as how to do it. But this certainty vanishes as the book starts to resemble a random assortment of jumps between various loosely-related characters more the character-driven... something it really wanted to be.
It was unfortunate, really, though even then the book made for an intriguig read. I'll be looking forward to what the author writes next.
Flawed but beautiful, Crooked Hallelujah is an intimate road trip of a book portraying the stormy life of three generations of Cherokee (though this fact actually barely features in the narrative itself) women hailing from Oklahoma. Sporadically narrated by a variety of tertiary characters, we most often look through the eyes of either Justine or her daughter Reeny as they each attempt to find their way in the world.
To my mind, two things make this book both special and poignant. One is the sweet simplicity of its prose. There's no overwroughtness here, no artificial desire to dress up the writing in more layers than it needs. Its sharp and uncompromising in parts, and it lays things bare instead of padding them up. Ironically, this results in something that is far from dry or boring or dull despite some part of me actually that it should be boring or dull. I think that is remarkable.
The other one is the characterization itself. Simply put, it feels like the author has really tapped into the minds of Lula, Justine, and Reeny, and like a magnet, we are simply drawn to learn about them. That is how I felt, at least.
Unfortunately, there are also two glaring flaws that kept this book from being truly outstanding. First and foremost, are the narrations from the tertiary (at best) characters like Moses and Ferrel that not only break away from the book's subject matter, but they don't really add anything in return. I kept hoping they would be made relevant, but by the book's end this simply did not happen. I can't help but think those chapters could have been better utilized by exploring more about Reeny, who basically carries the first half of the book and then disappointingly fades for long swathes of the second half.
The second flaw is more insidious. Up until about the halfway point of the novel, I feel like I can put a finger on what the author is trying to do, and the author herself also knows both what she is trying to do as well as how to do it. But this certainty vanishes as the book starts to resemble a random assortment of jumps between various loosely-related characters more the character-driven... something it really wanted to be.
It was unfortunate, really, though even then the book made for an intriguig read. I'll be looking forward to what the author writes next.
July 15, 2020
The power of women. The power of women. This gorgeous book is about the power of women - and surviving with whatever you have.
March 30, 2021
2.5 rounded up to 3. This book started with so much promise and then got lost in the weeds. I loved the first half, stayed engaged through the next 1/4 and found the last 1/4 not worthy of the rest. It is a multigenerational story that looks mostly at the women, primarily mother/daughter relationships. The story begins with 15 year old Justine's pregnancy, her choice to keep the baby and the ripples it sends both to the present and the future events. It is a story of Cherokee women some on the reservation and some who leave through the microcosm of this family. The later half read more like linked short stories while the first half felt more like a novel. There were rays of brilliance here but not enough to carry the weight of the story for me.
August 14, 2020
This, along with Tommy Orange's There There, provides a portrait of what it means to be a member of the current Native American population in America today. Although the beginning put me off a bit (I am so tired of women being impregnated at the getgo of a story), the journeys of the three women at the center of the action caught my interest, and the interweaving of timelines worked. Hopefully there will be more from this author.
March 10, 2021
I usually do fine with non-linear stories, but this was a bit hard to follow at times. Perhaps a physical copy would have fixed this issues. Very slow. I wished there was more about the culture.
Audiobook narrator was very good.
Audiobook narrator was very good.
March 22, 2021
Interwoven stories of three generations of Cherokee women in Oklahoma and Texas. I think I liked the way the first third of the book was told, but then some of the side stories of characters around the main characters weren't as engaging to me.
I wanted more of the three main women’s stories. There is such a string of sadness that ties all of the stories together. A lot of pain and unhappiness.
I wanted more of the three main women’s stories. There is such a string of sadness that ties all of the stories together. A lot of pain and unhappiness.
March 4, 2022
This was a really sad novel about mother daughter relationships and also how love ruins us. By love ruining us, I mean love of men with big dreams set against an Oklahoma and Texas backdrop. The men in the story often have dreams of being a rancher while the women in the story work non-stop at horrible jobs to provide money for food and mortgage payments. The writing was beautiful.
July 21, 2020
It’s not a novel, and some of the linked stories are stronger than others, but this is a well-written, engaging, and at times moving debut that brings to life compelling characters and evokes compassion and understanding.
December 15, 2019
3.5/5 Stars. I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
"Crooked Hallelujah" is a beautiful generational story of mothers and daughters, Cherokee identity, faith, womanhood and questions of home.
"Can I love anything the way that I used to love the mystery of my mother, her strength in suffering?"
This novel is absolutely heartbreaking, and I was close to crying a couple of times, both because of the events in the book and because of the way Kelli Jo Ford uses language to accurately express emotions that sound impossible to put into words. Because of the nature of the novel, it deals with some very difficult topics, especially several instances of abuse and gender violence. While I can recommend this novel, please listen to your mental health and don't pick it up if you can't currently stomach things like that (feel free to contact me for more specific trigger/content warnings).
The environmental and religious elements of the novel are woven beautifully into this soft semi-apocalyptical setting.
One thing I did not enjoy was the way changes in POV were not marked, so it is sometimes confusing to read until you figure out who is speaking right now. Sometimes the perspective shifts to secondary or background character and while I first was sceptical, I figured that that added to the emotional complexity of the novel.
As a white European I cannot possibly judge the Cherokee representation but guess what, this is an Own Voices novel! For the linguistically curious (such as me) there even are a few sentences in Cherokee (Tsalagi) featured in the dialogue.
All in all, an honest ᏩᏙ to Kelli Jo Ford for this beautiful novel
"Crooked Hallelujah" is a beautiful generational story of mothers and daughters, Cherokee identity, faith, womanhood and questions of home.
"Can I love anything the way that I used to love the mystery of my mother, her strength in suffering?"
This novel is absolutely heartbreaking, and I was close to crying a couple of times, both because of the events in the book and because of the way Kelli Jo Ford uses language to accurately express emotions that sound impossible to put into words. Because of the nature of the novel, it deals with some very difficult topics, especially several instances of abuse and gender violence. While I can recommend this novel, please listen to your mental health and don't pick it up if you can't currently stomach things like that (feel free to contact me for more specific trigger/content warnings).
The environmental and religious elements of the novel are woven beautifully into this soft semi-apocalyptical setting.
One thing I did not enjoy was the way changes in POV were not marked, so it is sometimes confusing to read until you figure out who is speaking right now. Sometimes the perspective shifts to secondary or background character and while I first was sceptical, I figured that that added to the emotional complexity of the novel.
As a white European I cannot possibly judge the Cherokee representation but guess what, this is an Own Voices novel! For the linguistically curious (such as me) there even are a few sentences in Cherokee (Tsalagi) featured in the dialogue.
All in all, an honest ᏩᏙ to Kelli Jo Ford for this beautiful novel
February 24, 2020
This book explores 3 generations of Indian women and is a solid story. Disappointing there is nothing Indian about this book and it tells the story of them being poor, that's it, no heritage nor Indian life. It's extremely confusing with so many characters coming and going, and a difficult timeline leaves it not recommendable.
June 14, 2020
Crooked Hallelujah is a complex book, with a nonlinear narrative and multiple perspectives. At the heart of the novel are Justine and her daughter Reney. Justine is a half-Cherokee woman, searching for the stability that wasn’t available in her childhood. Justine’s father left when she was a child, and her mother, Lula, brought the family back to her mother’s home and the fundamentalist Holiness Church. The novel covers Justine’s life from pregnancy to old age, in an episodic fashion. Narration is provided by Justine, Lula, Reney, Granny, and other members of Justine’s extended family.
This is a difficult book, both in structure and in content. I found that I could only read the book in relatively short doses, or I would end up in a bad mood. For me, that speaks to how well Kelli Jo Ford conveys the stress and difficulties her characters are faced with, even if I don’t enjoy the outcome for myself. The narrator is not specified at the beginning of chapter breaks, and there is no consistent “tell” for when it will change or who will pick up the narration. With the exception of the first and final few episodes in the book, it can be difficult to piece together the timeline until after you have finished the entire work. While I don’t recommend this as a beach read, if you’re looking for a new author or a powerful #ownvoices story and willing to put in the effort, this is definitely one to consider.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
This is a difficult book, both in structure and in content. I found that I could only read the book in relatively short doses, or I would end up in a bad mood. For me, that speaks to how well Kelli Jo Ford conveys the stress and difficulties her characters are faced with, even if I don’t enjoy the outcome for myself. The narrator is not specified at the beginning of chapter breaks, and there is no consistent “tell” for when it will change or who will pick up the narration. With the exception of the first and final few episodes in the book, it can be difficult to piece together the timeline until after you have finished the entire work. While I don’t recommend this as a beach read, if you’re looking for a new author or a powerful #ownvoices story and willing to put in the effort, this is definitely one to consider.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
July 28, 2020
Plotless, disjoined, and amateurish in its shifts of perspective from first- to third-person and back again, "Crooked Hallelujah" is a masterpiece. If the pieces don't match, think of them as patches stitched into a tapestry that creates a portrait more than it tells a story. In "Crooked Hallelujah" we get random glimpses into the lives of four generations of women in an Oklahoma family, and there's as much love, resilience and anger as you could imagine, with generous sides of abuse and evangelism for good measure. Everything about "Crooked Hallelujah" is asymmetrical, but it's about people fighting a savage landscape, and symmetry does not occur in nature.
November 22, 2020
An expansive novel about three generations of Cherokee women. Kelli Jo Ford’s writing is compulsively readable, and she shines light on religion, the choices women are forced to make in poverty, and the economic injustices against Indigenous groups.
January 21, 2021
Crooked Hallelujah is a debut novel in stories, told from a variety of perspectives but centering on four generations of Cherokee women navigating hardship and grief and love in Oklahoma and Texas. Ford writes beautifully about complex dynamics between mothers and daughters, intergenerational trauma and cyclical poverty, fraught and redemptive relationships with faith, and our extractive and abusive treatment of the land. Her female characters are fully formed and complicated, and their choices are often equal parts frustrating and understandable. I loved how with each new chapter we saw a new aspect of a character’s backstory or personality—it felt like Ford was turning a prism and refracting the characters in ways that revealed new insights with each turn.
I’ll note that it took me three weeks to finish this book, which is unusual for a book of this length. While I appreciated the complexity of the structure and the way Ford inhabited different voices and perspectives, the novel-in-stories construction made it hard to generate momentum, particularly early on. I generally love that kind of structure, so I was curious why it presented a motivation challenge for me here. I think the issue was that there was nothing intrinsic to the story or the construction that made it propulsive; in Disappearing Earth, for instance, there was a core mystery to be solved, while Inheritors was organized nonchronologically so there was a gradual peeling away of the central familial trauma that kept me intrigued. Nonetheless, I was impressed by this debut and would absolutely recommend it, especially to fans of multigenerational family sagas.
I’ll note that it took me three weeks to finish this book, which is unusual for a book of this length. While I appreciated the complexity of the structure and the way Ford inhabited different voices and perspectives, the novel-in-stories construction made it hard to generate momentum, particularly early on. I generally love that kind of structure, so I was curious why it presented a motivation challenge for me here. I think the issue was that there was nothing intrinsic to the story or the construction that made it propulsive; in Disappearing Earth, for instance, there was a core mystery to be solved, while Inheritors was organized nonchronologically so there was a gradual peeling away of the central familial trauma that kept me intrigued. Nonetheless, I was impressed by this debut and would absolutely recommend it, especially to fans of multigenerational family sagas.
June 1, 2020
Can I love anything the way that I used to love the mystery of my mother, her strength in suffering?"
"His baritone sounded familiar but busy, his words fireflies that flitted between them without illuminating a thing."
This is a multi-generational novel, set in the Cherokee Nation, of Oklahoma. It follows one family over the decades, beginning in the early 1970s where we are introduced to Justine, a wayward teenager, who becomes pregnant at 15. The stories focus mostly on the female members, including Justine's mother Lula, a devout member of the Holiness Church, who lays down the wrath of God. The spotlight also shines on Justine's daughter Reney, who becomes fiercely independent, trying to shake the bonds of poverty and broken men.
I like Native American fiction, and I wish the author would have included more of their culture and heritage. Other than that, I really admired her writing style and I think she delivered a solid family drama. Impressive debut.
"His baritone sounded familiar but busy, his words fireflies that flitted between them without illuminating a thing."
This is a multi-generational novel, set in the Cherokee Nation, of Oklahoma. It follows one family over the decades, beginning in the early 1970s where we are introduced to Justine, a wayward teenager, who becomes pregnant at 15. The stories focus mostly on the female members, including Justine's mother Lula, a devout member of the Holiness Church, who lays down the wrath of God. The spotlight also shines on Justine's daughter Reney, who becomes fiercely independent, trying to shake the bonds of poverty and broken men.
I like Native American fiction, and I wish the author would have included more of their culture and heritage. Other than that, I really admired her writing style and I think she delivered a solid family drama. Impressive debut.
November 29, 2020
2.5 stars. If I was rating this just on the characters that Ford created, this would have been a 4 star read for me. Crooked Hallelujah tells the story of 4 generations of Cherokee women. In the beginning, the development of these women was done so well - so much showing, not telling. You see how the trauma faced by one generation plays out in the lives and choices of the next. There is also an interesting element about religious fundamentalism and how that impacts a family and community. About 1/2 way through, though, the storyline started to fall apart for me. There was one section with a character and storyline introduced that felt completely separate from the rest and didn't really resolve itself or even circle back around to it. When I got to the ending chapters, it felt like I had missed something (possibly an issue with editing) and the character's actions didn't seem to line up with everything Ford had set up prior to this. I'll definitely read more by Ford - her characters (until the final scene) were strong enough to make me want to see more of what she can do.
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