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Natives And Exotics: A Lyrical Historical Novel of Three Generations and Colonialism's Shadow
In the manner of W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants, Natives and Exotics follows three characters, linked by blood and legacy, as they wander a world scarred by colonialism.
Transplanted halfway around the globe in 1970, nine-year-old Alice, the child of diplomats, is ravished by the beauty of Ecuador, a country her parents are helping to despoil. Forty years earlier, Alice's newlywed grandmother Violet confronts troubling traces of her country's past as she makes a home in the wilds of Australia. And before that, in early nineteenth-century Scotland, Violet's great-great-grandfather George flees the violence of the Clearances for the Portuguese Azores, unaware that he will have a hand in destroying the earthly paradise there.
The third novel by the author of the critically acclaimed The Marriage of the Sea and The Love-Artist, Natives and Exotics is a hypnotic meditation on our passionate, uneasy affair with nature, in which we restlessly search for home.
Transplanted halfway around the globe in 1970, nine-year-old Alice, the child of diplomats, is ravished by the beauty of Ecuador, a country her parents are helping to despoil. Forty years earlier, Alice's newlywed grandmother Violet confronts troubling traces of her country's past as she makes a home in the wilds of Australia. And before that, in early nineteenth-century Scotland, Violet's great-great-grandfather George flees the violence of the Clearances for the Portuguese Azores, unaware that he will have a hand in destroying the earthly paradise there.
The third novel by the author of the critically acclaimed The Marriage of the Sea and The Love-Artist, Natives and Exotics is a hypnotic meditation on our passionate, uneasy affair with nature, in which we restlessly search for home.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 7, 2025
I really enjoyed Alice's section. And Violet's a little bit. I liked Mr. Clarence and George as characters, but it was a struggle to get through in the middle of the book.
August 10, 2011
lovely book! quite enjoyed it. tells the story of three different generations of a colonialist family in different periods of time. great-great grandfather in the azores, the grandmother in australia, and the grand-daughter in equador. particularly enjoyed the narrative and narrative voice of the great-great grandfather (wept, in fact) but all the voices of all three were engaging and interesting. i think it is really cool that my professor chose to teach it -- not an easy book to teach but so much fun to wrestle with.
December 1, 2008
This one of the best books I ever read. I loved the exploration of how people and land belong to each other (or vice versa), and how that relationship extends or doesn't to immigrants-- like can a person from Australia adopt a Latin American country? Can that country adopt her? Wasn't bothered by the generational jumping-- each generation presented different allegories on everything from the battle between man and God to what is home.
July 27, 2011
Anyone who is living in a country not their own should read this.
July 7, 2025
Considering the year this book was published, I think it is fair to say it was ahead of its time. The author richly describes settings in which she brings up musings on colonialism, globalism, the meaning of home, science and religion, and the treatment of indigenous bodies, plants, and places.
The writing motivated me towards anti colonial action in the way, but in a way that also made me yearn for a more fulfilling relationship with the natural world around me. For fans of Kim Stanley Robinson or Richard Powers.
The writing motivated me towards anti colonial action in the way, but in a way that also made me yearn for a more fulfilling relationship with the natural world around me. For fans of Kim Stanley Robinson or Richard Powers.
January 22, 2018
Not bad, exactly, just couldn't get into this. It's three different stories (and continents) packed into a relatively short novel, and the characters suffer for it. The author's love for the natural world does come through nicely, but the theme of humanity despoiling nature is heavy-handed. Might have worked better as an environmental nonfiction book.
May 29, 2018
This is an aspirational book for me: brilliant but dense. What I adored were the pages set in the Azores--the astonishing portraits of reverent Mr. Clarence and the shaggy George.
April 13, 2024
Rather depressing
April 30, 2024
Stories 1&2 not quite complete // 3 was most compelling, historical fiction w/ great voice
Good for learning sprawling novel spanning many characters and times --> placing them in conversation thematically without David Mitchell-esque kaleidoscopic plot
Good for learning sprawling novel spanning many characters and times --> placing them in conversation thematically without David Mitchell-esque kaleidoscopic plot
August 28, 2011
From September 2005 School Library Journal:
Man’s attempts to subdue nature are at the heart of this novel about one multi-generational family’s experiences with “civilizing” the world. The novel opens with 9-year-old Alice traveling to Ecuador with her mother and stepfather, one of a slew of families who congregate there in the 1970s to help American oil companies reap the benefits of that country’s oil exports. Largely undeveloped until that time, Ecuador is thrown into political and social upheaval as the United States holds out the carrot of progress through industrialization.
The story then flashes back to 1929 Australia, where Alice’s grandmother Violet is attempting to make a life for herself and her family in the rough and uncultivated Adelaide. Alison does a marvelous job with historically accurate details of running a home, from the Coolgardie Safe that keeps their milk and butter cool to the copper kettle and wringer used on laundry day and the hoarding of precious water. Violet, pregnant with the son who will be Alice’s uncle, ponders the meaning of “home” and the question of whether humans can ever consider themselves native to a certain area.
In the third and final flashback, readers are introduced to George Clarence, Violet’s great-great-grandfather, who in 1822 sails from Scotland to the Portuguese Azores to begin a life in the citrus business. A peaceful man, he is troubled by the prevailing European mentality of that period that calls for clearing off “natives” and anything else that stands in the way of progress. However, as he eagerly transplants trees and flowers that are shipped from various parts of the world to the Azores, he finds himself an unwitting participant in the game of reshaping the world to western standards.
Alison covers a lot of ground in her 250 page novel, and her ambitious undertaking makes the flow rather disjointed at times. However, the theme of how much man can truly control the natural world is a thought-provoking one, and the language is spare and beautiful. Her third novel is not for reluctant readers, but those curious about the history of European exploration and colonization will enjoy Alison’s perspective.
Man’s attempts to subdue nature are at the heart of this novel about one multi-generational family’s experiences with “civilizing” the world. The novel opens with 9-year-old Alice traveling to Ecuador with her mother and stepfather, one of a slew of families who congregate there in the 1970s to help American oil companies reap the benefits of that country’s oil exports. Largely undeveloped until that time, Ecuador is thrown into political and social upheaval as the United States holds out the carrot of progress through industrialization.
The story then flashes back to 1929 Australia, where Alice’s grandmother Violet is attempting to make a life for herself and her family in the rough and uncultivated Adelaide. Alison does a marvelous job with historically accurate details of running a home, from the Coolgardie Safe that keeps their milk and butter cool to the copper kettle and wringer used on laundry day and the hoarding of precious water. Violet, pregnant with the son who will be Alice’s uncle, ponders the meaning of “home” and the question of whether humans can ever consider themselves native to a certain area.
In the third and final flashback, readers are introduced to George Clarence, Violet’s great-great-grandfather, who in 1822 sails from Scotland to the Portuguese Azores to begin a life in the citrus business. A peaceful man, he is troubled by the prevailing European mentality of that period that calls for clearing off “natives” and anything else that stands in the way of progress. However, as he eagerly transplants trees and flowers that are shipped from various parts of the world to the Azores, he finds himself an unwitting participant in the game of reshaping the world to western standards.
Alison covers a lot of ground in her 250 page novel, and her ambitious undertaking makes the flow rather disjointed at times. However, the theme of how much man can truly control the natural world is a thought-provoking one, and the language is spare and beautiful. Her third novel is not for reluctant readers, but those curious about the history of European exploration and colonization will enjoy Alison’s perspective.
January 4, 2018
Alison weaves together three disparate storylines from the same family, dealing with themes of alienation, home, and origination. All of her characters express a profound love for nature, and this love is reflected in Alison’s rich descriptions and imagery. Because the storylines only tangentially intersect, I initially had some trouble connecting to the characters. Shifting between parts of the story was jarring, sending the reader catapulting across time and space, essentially restarting the story. It wasn’t until later sections where I could trace the connections and overlaps between the disparate struggles of the characters.
I fell in love with all of the landscapes of the uprooted characters: the orange groves of the Azores, the Ecuadorian mountains, the fields of Australia. The language was the star, at times overpowering such prosaic details as “plot” and “climax”: each word and image seemed perfect, gemlike. However, at times the symbolism became overbearing and preachy. While I appreciated Alison’s extensive horticultural research, the symbolic debate of natives and exotics was worn thin over the course of the piece by overuse. At times, her tone grew preachy on the effects of colonialism and white man’s burden, with all of her characters echoing essentially the same sentiments in different time periods and contexts. The stain of guilt pervades the text in such an explicit way I found myself resisting.
Although the story threads end up unresolved, the ending felt complete and satisfying ot me. All of the family’s generations—George, Violet, Alice—are wanderers, seeking a sense of home and belonging, and continue to drift like the continents without any firm sense of resolution.
While I appreciated the style and artfulness of Alison’s work, I feel no compulsion to read any further works of hers.
I fell in love with all of the landscapes of the uprooted characters: the orange groves of the Azores, the Ecuadorian mountains, the fields of Australia. The language was the star, at times overpowering such prosaic details as “plot” and “climax”: each word and image seemed perfect, gemlike. However, at times the symbolism became overbearing and preachy. While I appreciated Alison’s extensive horticultural research, the symbolic debate of natives and exotics was worn thin over the course of the piece by overuse. At times, her tone grew preachy on the effects of colonialism and white man’s burden, with all of her characters echoing essentially the same sentiments in different time periods and contexts. The stain of guilt pervades the text in such an explicit way I found myself resisting.
Although the story threads end up unresolved, the ending felt complete and satisfying ot me. All of the family’s generations—George, Violet, Alice—are wanderers, seeking a sense of home and belonging, and continue to drift like the continents without any firm sense of resolution.
While I appreciated the style and artfulness of Alison’s work, I feel no compulsion to read any further works of hers.
May 23, 2012
A to Z project, book 9
I suspect that when I was younger I might have been wowed by this book. It follows several generations of a family as they are transplanted to locations around the world: Scotland, the Azores, Australia, and Ecuador. They're all connected to the land: its geological changes and the movement of plants. It's elegantly written and laden with symbols. If I were to be so crass as to sum it all up (and I shall be) it reminds the reader that we are just a species like any other in this big old changing world, evolving and migrating to our new niches. Charles Darwin even goes chugging by in the Beagle in one scene.
But despite this big subject and Alison's graceful writing, I only feel fair-to-middling about this book. The generational stories, while potentially interesting, are not developed quite enough to fully satisfy. They read more like linked stories. They suggest plots, rather than have plots.
In the end, perhaps this is too writerly, pregnant with symbols that are never quite birthed into full ideas.
I suspect that when I was younger I might have been wowed by this book. It follows several generations of a family as they are transplanted to locations around the world: Scotland, the Azores, Australia, and Ecuador. They're all connected to the land: its geological changes and the movement of plants. It's elegantly written and laden with symbols. If I were to be so crass as to sum it all up (and I shall be) it reminds the reader that we are just a species like any other in this big old changing world, evolving and migrating to our new niches. Charles Darwin even goes chugging by in the Beagle in one scene.
But despite this big subject and Alison's graceful writing, I only feel fair-to-middling about this book. The generational stories, while potentially interesting, are not developed quite enough to fully satisfy. They read more like linked stories. They suggest plots, rather than have plots.
In the end, perhaps this is too writerly, pregnant with symbols that are never quite birthed into full ideas.
January 26, 2008
I have found some gems on the New Fiction shelves in my local library. This is one of them. Alison describes three generations of a family, each living in a different situation and part of the world and each loving and exploiting the part of the world in which they live and travel. Her descriptions of characters and surroundings are vivid and the stories are engaging. By the end of the book only one of the stories felt completed. The reader is left to intuit or create the lives of the other two characters from childhood to adulthood in one case and from young adulthood to creating a life, home, and family in the other. I found this frustrating but I still liked the book.
November 19, 2008
This was a really quick read. I only gave it three stars for three reasons: 1) there was an immense sadness that traveled throughout the this book. While I think the author tried to amend that in the end, it didn't make me feel any better. 2) I didn't like the way it jumped back and forth with strong divisions between lives. They were all intertwined. I would have liked that to be more strongly shown. 3) It wasn't nearly long enough!
Overall, a good book, but definitely not one that will go on my list of favorites of all time.
Overall, a good book, but definitely not one that will go on my list of favorites of all time.
August 25, 2015
More a collection of novellas, linked by a multi-generational story and a meditation on colonialism of various sorts and how the natural world has been altered by human migration. The writing is lyrical and a pleasure to experience, and the exotic locales in which the human narratives unfold are surprising and places worth spending one's time in. The characters, especially the women, are also worth spending time with.
January 14, 2008
I read this for my book club. I finished it only because it was a book club pick. The beginning was engaging, a young girl is uprooted from Austrailia with her mother and step father to South America. She falls in love with her new location. The author then leaves her completely to start what seems to be a completely new book idea that I just couldn't get into.
November 18, 2008
This book was pretty good... It started out really great, but kind of petered-out. There were several loosely connected stories. I think I would have liked it better if it was just one big tightly woven story. I did like the writing and the topics: global travel, exotic plants, transgenerational stories.
June 17, 2007
It's a novel with a lot of gardening. I don't like plants. But I do like latin america, so that was neat.
June 27, 2008
A bit dry in places, slightly uneven in storytelling, but overall a good adult fiction choice.
February 24, 2009
I adore this author.
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September 18, 2017An easy beach read. Loved the themes and how it all ties together - traveling, colonialism.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews