The Cadence of Grass by Thomas McGuane

[Beetle]

It took me a long time to get used to McGuane's writing style and prose, particularly in The Longest Silence.  So I thought I would try a few of his novels and what has really defined his literary career.

The Cadence of Grass depicts a dysfunctional family in Montana experiencing an identity crisis after the death of their patriarch.  The character development is very in depth and McGuane intertwines each one with the other to accent their respective flaws or attributes.  In other words, you come to know each character by understanding their role in the family and the history behind their somewhat depraved and sinister behavior.

This study is gift-wrapped in an incredibly detailed depiction of ranch life in a cold and unforgiving place.  Anyone with experience on a farm or ranch will appreciate McGuane's attention to detail.  Throw in the cross-dressing rancher, a desperate parole office and a hint of urban legend and you have a story that, while slow to build, crescendos ripe with tragedy, revenge and epiphany. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book- much more than The Sporting Life.  While it doesn't touch the subject of fishing at all, it provides a peek inside the lives of people living in the West versus playing in the West. 

[walt]

nice review.... thanks for sharing.

--walt