“From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them…”
So begins David Hayden’s story of the cataclysmic summer of 1948, when the charges of a young Sioux woman force David’s father, the sheriff of their small
town, to confront his older brother, a charming war hero and respected doctor.
As the small town takes sides, David witnesses the unraveling of his family brought on by the revelation of this simple truth. In this tale of love and courage, David learns what it means to weigh the terrible choice between family loyalty and justice.
The book takes place only three years after the end of World War II, in a small Montana town neighboring a Native American Reservation. After WWII, Americans were elated at the allied victory and admiring of the bravery and heroism of US soldiers, but the war also brought with it several unhappy realizations: the holocaust in Germany and the dropping of the first two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki incited new dialogues about human capacity for evil and prejudice and the threat of virtually apocalyptic new technologies. In many ways the postwar climate in America was one where celebration and pride barely disguised profound new worries about the future. The story accordingly investigates hidden evils in an “all-American” Midwestern town, and puts pressure on the concepts of heroism, justice, and liberty by drawing attention to the bigotry and abuse of power that often exist just under the surface.
Born and raised in North Dakota, Larry Watson is the author of many novels, including In a Dark Time, White Crosses, Orchard, and Laura. Also the author of a collection of fiction, Justice, and a chapbook of poetry, Leaving Dakota, Watson has received numerous awards and prizes for his work. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
