I was so excited from A Prayer for Owen Meany that I decided to read another book set in New Hampshire. This time I chose a book by Louise Erdich, who is famous for her books about Native American mythology. She is a new author to me and I chose this book in large part because it also counts for the #BustleReads Challenge #4 "Read a Book About an Indigenous Culture". On the Bustle Reads site they suggest Love Medicine but I chose The Painted Drum because Goodreads describes the book as "an illuminating journey both backward and forward in time". I love books that jump around in time, and while I am trying to branch out a bit, it is hard to resist favorite themes! I have to say I was pretty neutral about this book. The main character, Faye, has a hard time connecting to other people, and I also had a hard time connecting to her. Furthermore, the book almost reads like 3 separate shorter stories rather than one continuous novel. I like to become absorbed in long stories, and I tend to find this setup a bit disruptive. I am just getting interested in a story and then it is switched to something else. The story of the drum provides a continuous thread, and the story of how the drum came to be is compelling (and terribly sad). However, although the book is well written and interesting, it failed to draw me in. I would like to read another one of her books, I enjoyed the parts about Native Americans the best and I might like a different setting/characters a little better.
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