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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Black River by S.M. Hulse


I don’t do “Westerns”.  Never have. Never will, though my Dad spoke to me of Zane Grey and Riders of the Purple Sage as a child.  Heck, I didn’t even watch Westerns on TV during their heyday in early television.  I do love flyfishing rivers though, so when I plucked S.M.  Hulses debut novel Black River off the library shelf, opened it to the middle and saw the word Montana three times,  I took it home. Surprise!  It wasn’t another flyfishing gem like the book A River Runs Through It or Robert Redfords movie of the same name. It turned out to be a western but not like the kind your granddaddy loved…..

 Black River is a modern-day Western that takes place in the small town Rocky Mountain West.  Stoic   sixty-year-old Wes Carver loses his wife, Claire, to cancer in the opening pages, leaves Spokane with her ashes to return to Black River a small Montana town where he worked as a CO (Corrections Officer) in a State Prison, meets his estranged step son and finds out the man who tortured him in a prison riot is up for parole.  He is invited to speak at parole hearing. Not incidentally there he would face the prisoner who had smashed all his fingers leaving him unable to exercise his favorite hobby and talent to play his beloved fiddle ever again.
Hulse has centered her novel around these and other dramatic events leaving a good but emotionally fragile man some very hard choices. I've lived in a small town all my adult life and summered in  Montana enough to have somewhat a sense of these places.  Amazingly,  Hulse captures it all perfectly with spot on detail,  spare prose and clear purpose. Yes, there are several “flashbacks” which I ordinarily abhor. Here though they give emotional depth to the unfolding events. I didn’t mind them at all

By The Way, she wrote the book as her MFA thesis at the University of Oregon.  Ah, to be so young and so talented. This book should be at the top of any list of best debut novels for 2015…..

 

 

 
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@Barrie Summy

14 comments:

Far Side of Fifty said...

Sounds like a great book! She may be the next great author! :)

Should Fish More said...

Sounds excellent, TB. Montana and a fellow Duck.

Montanagirl said...

It sounds like a good one!!

PC said...

Sounds intriguing. So many books, so little time!

Arkansas Patti said...

You have sold me. I am off to see where I can find it. Thanks for the great review.

Arkansas Patti said...

Just requested it at my library. Thanks again.

Carla from The River said...

I am off to request it at our local library! It sounds like a great read!! Thank you for sharing.
Carla

Lin said...

Hmmmm...sounds like a good one! Will have to look for it.

Valerie said...

This is my kind of book. I'll have to see if it's available in the UK.

I'm currently reading a book based in Montana so I'm getting to learn all the different place names.

Sarah Laurence said...

From your description of the story, I'm surprised that a young woman is the author. I've always wanted to visit Montana and a book is an easy way to travel. Fine review!

Cynthia said...

Upon your interesting recommendation, I requested it at my library. Thanks.

NCmountainwoman said...

I just loved westerns from my earliest memory. I ate up all the Zane Grey books and watched all the westerns on the movie serials and TV. I must admit I haven't read a western novel in far too many years but I'll definitely give this one a try.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Troutbirder, I would have guessed you read Zane Grey as a kid. I did, and watched westerns on TV. Mostly because I'm a horse nut and have been since my first memories.

Barrie said...

Just put this on my kindle for my trip. Soooo glad you reviewed this book, Ray, or I wouldn't have known about it. Thank you!!!