Montana 1948: A Novel

This book turned out to be a wonderful surprise! Its characters embodied many of the complexities of the human character and condition. My exposure to This mystery /suspense novel was as our selected book one week by dint of what the St Louis County Library had on hand in sets of 15 or more in paperback for book clubs. I am a member in good standing of the Seventh Floor Book Club at the St Louis County Jail. About eighteen men, whose composition changes depending on who has been sentenced for how long, who's in solitary this week, or who's got visitors during the discussion period--2 hours on Friday afternoon--or who's lucky enough to have been released. I, a female retired teacher, have found this club to be one of the most charming, unique, surprising and frustrating of any I've been involved with and their reactions to our reading as complex as the books themselves. Since libraries tend to like hardback books which preserve better, we consider ourselves fortunate to have read one book a week since March, (it’s now September) all of which have been of superior quality, if not to prisoners' tastes every time. This book was one of our most universally enjoyable. While not everyone said so, the characters in this quiet novel, especially the main man, all struggle with how to cope with moral decisions which, taken Biblically, could end their careers, relationships, and in one case lives or enrich them. So does the hero stay true to his monarchical family as virtue rulers in this small town, or does he follow the law, his chosen profession and take steps to end the corruption and effectively end his relationship to the family, ruining its reputation within the whole area. Our book club readers, almost to the last one, had wrestled with these same decisions, and usually chose the alternative, which landed them where they are today. These things don't always present themselves as "decisions" when life plunges on, and so they usually can't be seen in black and white terms, nor do we always see the potential ethical ramifications of our choices at the time they're made. These characters are all TOO aware of possible repercussions of this man's choices either way, and the story, told through the eyes of the main character's 12-year-old son in retrospect, grows ever darker as we follow it to its not-so-predictable end. The characters can be both complicated, changing as events unfold, and predictable, based on the characters foreshadowed early in the story. My fellow club members identified with different characters, not surprisingly aligned with characteristics they themselves often display, but many could see that sometimes anguishing decisions must be made that favor the larger society over those nearest and dearest for the mental health, not only of the decision-maker, but also of society at large. The scenery paints the West, Northeastern Montana in 1948, in lovely, spare though darker colors, but the ride provided keeps one glued to the page. I read it in two hours, non-stop, and couldn't put it down till I finished the last word.

In the hands of the very skillful story teller, Larry Watson, this novel shines the light on the justice and morality of a small western town at a time when many people chose to look the other way at certain social injustices. David Hayden narrates this stunning story as an adult recalling the events as he remembers them when he was twelve years old. His narrative is crisp with all of the openess and clarity characteristic of an observant young man, but seasoned with age, He tells us at the beginning of the novel......"From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting that any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them..." And from there, we enter the town of Bentrock, Montana, where we are slowly and lucidly made aware of the horrific abuse of power taking place and are unable to look away from the unconsciable and abhorrent events that are unfolding. It was both distressing and compelling to read such a heart-wrenching book that took place in the notorious lawlessness of the fabled 'Wild West' Perhaps the legendary Old West might have, in reality, been a far more civilized and secure place than the America of today. Justice in 'them good ole days' was often served up rather quickly and often with a sense of moral integrity. Larry Watson very discerningly crafts a disturbing, yet touching story, a story that is at once both highly believable and shockingly unbelievable! America loves it's heroes, it's prodigal sons, the godliness of it's doctors......those men of power that seem to be above reproach. Unfortunately, there are always 'bad apples' in the best of the bunch and we find one here. In 1948, the Indian woman was not given a fair place in her society and was thus a easy victim for an abuser. Even today, more native Indian are raped than any of the other American ethnic groups. I found the following information on-line to be ghastly and abominable....... "Colonizers have long tried to crush the spirit of the Indian peoples and blunt their will to resist colonization. One of the most devastating weapons of conquest has been sexual violence. In the eyes of colonizers, Indian bodies are inherently "dirty." White Californians of the 1860s called Native people "the dirtiest lot of human beings on earth." Violence done to "dirty" or "impure" bodies simply does not count" As Montana 1948 unfolds and the truth becomes evident, justice seeks to prevail. However, a few unexpected twists and turns at the end add a surprising punch to this very well written family and societal drama. As Cormac McCarthy's Sheriff Bell in No Country for Old Men opines at the end of his book when a reporter questions him about how crime has gotten so out of hand. Sheriff Bell responds......"It starts when you begin to overlook bad manners. Any time you quit hearin 'Sir and Mam' the end is pretty much in sight. I told her........you finally get into the sort of breakdown in mercantile ethics that leaves people settin around out in the desert dead in their vehicles and by then it's just too late." Seems to me that Sheriff Hayden, like Sheriff Bell understood the changes that were taking place all too well with his final fervent remark as he slammed his hand down on the dinner table so hard that the plates and silverware jumped: "Don't blame Montana." he thundered. " Don't ever blame Montana!"

What a great little book! "Little" because it's only 169 pages. But it packs an awful lot of drama and emotion into those 169 pages. And it strikes a chord right off the bat - here is a man, some 30+ years later, recalling a remarkable summer when he was 12 years old. Seems to be a point in a lifetime for many of us that is rich with memories and milestones as we began to break out of our childhood cocoons. The boy lives with Mom and Dad in a small dusty, wind-blown town in the northeastern part of the state. Dad's the town sheriff, there's one deputy, Len, who lives next door. There are also lots of Native Americans, one of whom lives in with the family, a young woman who is companion to the boy (he later learns much to his shock and chagrin that she is in truth, The Babysitter, as Mom works at the Courthouse across the street). Grand-dad lives out of town with lots of money and lots of influence. Dad's brother is Dr. Frank, a WWll hero, and the favored son. Then something happens. And all kind of issues are raised, dealing with duty, doing the right thing, and family loyalty. It seems like there is an awful lot packed into such few pages. The ending is well done and fitting. A personal note - if there is a subplot here, it deals with guns, and the extent to which guns were a part of every day life in Montana in 1948. Wherever you may stand on the issue of guns and gun controls, you might find this theme to be of some interest, particularly if you are a city bred, east of the Mississippi cowboy like me. This is an excellent story and I will read more Larry Watson. "Laura", his second book, will be next for me. I tumbled onto him after reading a review the other day for his latest book, "As Good as Gone", his 9th. I will be reading it soon also.

I don’t know America well or Montana, however the interesting division between native Indians and white American attitudes to them is a strong thread throughout the story. The book is also about conscience and family values. It was well written from a young boy’s perspective of his family just before he grew up to manhood.

In 1948 young David Hayden, who was usually kept in the dark when it came to unpleasant business, hears and sees things that both fascinate and disgust him. He's not naive. After all his father is the Sheriff. But when unpleasant business happens in his own family he would much rather have been kept in the dark.

Loved how the story flipped from the observations of a 9 year old boy to more adult thoughts and feelings by the writer, but still captured the sense of childhood. A fascinating family story of betrayal and darkness revealed and one’s standing in the family dynamic. Fully recommend it.

Très bien reçu et super communication. Après essai ça fonctionne. Je recommande.

Read it for my sons Year 11 English. Good book but abrupt ending