Book Review: Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremony is a remarkable book.

The first book written by Leslie Silko, it tells the story of Tayo, a Native American WWII veteran who returns home and must come to terms with both the terrors of the war and the trauma of his people's history. Although it is a work of fiction much of the story feels like it could be plucked from real life. The main events of the book take place in the Navajo Nation, with a few scenes in the surrounding sates (mostly Gallup, NM), and the use of real locations helps to ground the book. The struggles Tayo and our other characters face come from history, and through their thoughts and actions we no doubt catch a glimpse of our author's attempts to come to terms with the history of her people.

Tayo's struggle is to find peace: he is filled with rage and self-loathing, and at the beginning of the book is overwhelmed by his PTSD. His father figure died while he was away, and the brother he left with died in a Japanese prisoner march. He sits in a haze, unable to even feed himself, while his family does what little they can to pick up the pieces. Once he can move again he begins drinking, joining his fellow veterans (also Navajo) at the bar, falling deeper and deeper into depression and alcoholism until he seeks help from a holy man who lives in Gallup. Eventually, he does find peace, or at least a way to move forward, and the book ends on the sunrise, signaling the end of his period of darkness.  

The book is written in a very unique style. There are no chapters, though the paragraphs are broken up at times, or interspersed with short poems. We stay with Tayo most of the time, but the writing is anachronistic, and sometimes we jump abruptly into the minds of others for a few pages. All these elements give the endless flow a dream-like quality, mirroring the haze and supsequent clarity of Tayo's mind. There is a great deal of interesting imagery here--much of the cultural significance of which has gone over my head, I'm sure--but what stuck out to me in particular was the use of the stomach as the center of emotion. Tayo feels everything in his belly: rage and pain and sadness. I know the stomach is associated with anxiety or fear, but I have only seen stomach imagery to refer to physical reactions or sickness. While those are still coupled here, the use goes far beyond that--the emotions live in his stomach, they do not merely prompt reactions

One of the major conflicts of the book, of course, is that of culture. Much of the conflict in Tayo comes from the fact that he is half-white. Consequently, he is loathed by some of his own in addition to the racism he encounters from white people. The wounds of genocide and colonization bleed throughout the novel. Part of Tayo's anger comes from the fact that he was used by the U.S. to fight their war and then spat out without any appreciation, much as his people's land has been stolen away and used to advance white people while the Navajo have been left behind. Ultimately, Tayo reconciles with his history by connecting with his culture, embracing it, and attempting to move on.

I picked Ceremony up in the National Museum of the American Indian while vacationing in D.C., and, while the museum itself was certainly eye-opening (before this I did not really consider that Native Americans had participated in modern wars), reading through it gave a much more visceral impression of the impacts of the history on display. This book is a remarkable accomplishment, and more than worth your attention if you are interested in American history, character studies, or just great writing.

Ceremony is available on Amazon in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.