Helpful Score: 1
I'm an avid Larry Watson fan with 'Montana 1948' up there in my top 10, but I didn't feel this was one of his absolute best. Still, given how well he always draws a picture with simple strokes, it is plenty good enough. It's set in Minnesota in the 60s - and perhaps that difference from his high plains books about Montana is why it was not quite as fascinating. The teenage narrator tells about his boring life with a hard-working mother and how taken he is by a friendship which puts him in the home of a wealthy doctor with a seemingly perfect family. He aspires to become a doctor like his friend's father, but the shooting and subsequent care of an adventurous young woman new to town, breaks all that apart. The ending is somewhat of a surprise. The disappointment the hero feels when he discovers that even perfect-seeming families can be deeply disturbed, is very real. There's a small-town, long-ago flavor which might be most appealing to people my age who grew up with boys just like this, but I think most anyone will find some truths in this book.
