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N.A. Ratnayake

Butcher's Crossing

Butcher's Crossing - John Edward Williams, Michelle Latiolais This is an exciting and well-written novel, setting the viscous brutality and gentle kindness of men against the backdrop of a vivid, nostalgic depiction of the American West. The aspects of human nature which Williams chooses to contrast are counterbalanced by the opposing forces in the wild lands of the frontier he describes. The ambitions and follies of men play out against a nature which is at once movingly beautiful and harshly indifferent - a country of inner truth and stark emptiness, reflected in the eyes of the men who seek to explore and dominate it.

Williams sketches the characters and dialog in direct, sparse terms; the blend recalls both gritty westerns as well as some of my favorite passages of Hemingway. Unlike works from the latter author, however, I was not drawn into the internal life of these characters in any meaningful way, and this is my one complaint. On the whole, the story and writing are potent enough to carry the novel strongly through to the end regardless.

My thanks to NPR's Three Books series for suggesting this novel in their episode Three Books to Take to a Fistfight. It certainly lived up to the recommendation.