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
Sounds like a great book! She may be the next great author! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds excellent, TB. Montana and a fellow Duck.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good one!!
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing. So many books, so little time!
ReplyDeleteYou have sold me. I am off to see where I can find it. Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteJust requested it at my library. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI am off to request it at our local library! It sounds like a great read!! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCarla
Hmmmm...sounds like a good one! Will have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is my kind of book. I'll have to see if it's available in the UK.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading a book based in Montana so I'm getting to learn all the different place names.
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!
ReplyDeleteUpon your interesting recommendation, I requested it at my library. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteTroutbirder, 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.
ReplyDeleteJust 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!!!
ReplyDelete