This is a small but tight masterpiece that slowly unravels and reveals. Thanks for lending it to me Ida. Having just read [b:On The Road|841947|On The Road|Jack Kerouac|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178825422l/841947._SY75_.jpg|1701188] also set around 1948, [b:Montana 1948|6989112|Montana 1948|Larry Watson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1283045778l/6989112._SY75_.jpg|144809] here we have yet another dimension to middle America. More families on the move but for different reasons.

I suddenly felt a great distance between us, as if, at that moment, each of us stood on our own little square of flooring with open space surrounding us. Too far apart to jump to anyone else's island., we could only stare at each other the way my mother stared at my father.

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I chose this book mainly because of the title, but I enjoyed reading it. A death of a Native woman that looks routine and natural turns out to be anything but. A family is torn apart when the sheriff stands up for what is right. The book is short, so the action moves quickly. ( )

If you look over your five-star fiction selections, what will you find? To me, five-stars mean that something has been unusually well-done or it has moved me in some deep or important way, but I find that some of the best stories stand out because they show us a piece of the truth. And to paraphrase a character in this story, seeing the truth doesn’t mean the sun will shine. ( )

Pretty good short Western fiction about a boy growing up. ( )

This book is a mini masterpiece – mini because it is under 200 pages. Protagonist David tells the story as an adult looking back forty years, when, at age twelve, in 1948, the discovery of family scandal profoundly changed many lives. This excerpt from the prologue provides an idea of what to expect:

“Two months ago, my mother died. She made, as the expression goes, a good death. She came inside the house from working in her garden, and a heart attack, as sudden as a sneeze, felled her in the kitchen. My father’s death, ten years earlier, was less merciful. Cancer hollowed him out over the years until he could not stand up to a stiff wind. And Marie Little Soldier? Her fate contains too much of the story for me to give away.

A story that is now only mine to tell. I may not be the only witness left – there might still be someone in that small Montana town who remembers those events as well as I, but no one knew all three of these people better.

And no one loved them more.”

It is a story that pits family loyalty against justice. The writing is articulate – not a word is wasted. The sense of place is vivid. The characters feel authentic. The social commentary, involving abuse of power and racism against Native Americans, is embedded into the narrative. Watson employs a classic style. He sets the stage at the beginning, then launches into the story. He induces the reader to proceed by providing a new morsel of information that piques curiosity. I set out to read a chapter or two, and before I knew it, I had read the entire book.

Montana 1948 feels evergreen. It is delivered with lucidity, brevity, and humanity. It is both subtle and complex, infused with layers of meaning. It was a delight to read such a masterfully crafted work. I am adding it to my favorites, and certain it will make my top ten for the year.
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