Montana 1948: A Novel

Compulsive drama, great writing, excellent storytelling. Small town intrigue that captures a prominent family with a moral dilemma, told by a young boy protagonist.

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!"

Simple people standing for justice. No compromising for pride or family. The simple decency of doing the right thing and standing for justice.

This is a solid story with solid writing, tension, suspense, drama, characterization, and good dialogue and descriptions. Then why 3 stars which I rarely give? Well, The author went for a choice here in point of view that compromised the story. I’m sure the goal may have been to create suspense, but for me it just created a muted story where I found myself chomping at the bit wanting to know more about what was going on in the story. I wanted to see the conflict in the room between the Native American girl, Marie and Gail Hayden. I wanted to hear the story that Marie told Wesley Hayden and experience his reaction. I wanted to be a part the initial confrontation between the brothers and the exchanges that followed. These scenarios are the conflict-laden scenes writers usually relish writing, although they may not necessarily be easy to write, but we get none of this. Instead, we are relegated to sneak around with an unreliable narrator at best in an older David Hayden reflecting on a troubling time in his twelfth year as he get’s maybe a fourth of the story and we are left to contemplate the rest along with him in his mind. It was a short easy read, but I felt like the story was sacrifice for technique. Sometimes just tell the story. That’s what I wanted to read.

I will ALWAYS remember this book!! The narrator’s voice, cadence, and words remind me very much of the narrator’s in the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird”. READ THIS BOOK!

Author Larry Watson put me in a time and place creating a memorial picture of Montana 1948. Using David as the narrator, he brought a vivid picture to life in a very simple way.

Felt Lomé I was in Montana and part of this complex family. The writing was simple and gentle and fit the subject. I liked the point of view

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.

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.

I usually read a different genre but something about the summary grabbed me. The author writes with such skill, you know you're reading something special. So gifted with story telling. Fleshing out the characters into the story. All masterfully weaved together. A+

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