Scan barcode
A review by baggman
The Kept by James Scott
4.0
I'm not big on westerns, but other than the period during which the story takes place, this is not what I would describe as a typical western novel. Whatever gene it falls into, I enjoyed it. I kept thinking that it could be described as an updated version of True Grit, or that the book itself would make a terribly good major motion picture.
While the author claims to have spent 6 years writing this book, it's not exactly a unique plot: a family is viciously attacked and killed by strangers and for reasons unknown; the surviving family members set out for revenge. What in the world could have taken 6 years for this? I really like the book, but it isn't War and Peace.
The book consists of two characters. That's not entirely true since there are other minor persons that enter in and out of the plot. But, 98% of the novel is represented by the actions and memories of a mother and her son. Everyone else is a minor piece of a puzzle.
I liked this book for many reasons. For one, it seemed to be an actual representation of what life was like during this period of time. There was no sugar coating, no lawman ready to cross the globe to bring justice to a small town in the middle of nowhere. You were pretty much on your own for both survival and justice. Children grew up fast. It wasn't just convenient, it was necessity. Life wasn't pretty, it was just another day to get through. For another, I greatly enjoyed the author's writing style. It was verbose at times, but fluid at the same time. The dialog was simple, but at the same time rich and descriptive. Maybe that's what took the author 6 years, getting every word correct, every paragraph perfect.
"Something about Ellabelle made lying more difficult. He couldn’t concentrate on what he meant to say—words tumbled out of his mouth without his guidance. Lying, he’d come to understand, took two things: forethought and memory. Both had been disabled in Ellabelle’s presence."
While the author claims to have spent 6 years writing this book, it's not exactly a unique plot: a family is viciously attacked and killed by strangers and for reasons unknown; the surviving family members set out for revenge. What in the world could have taken 6 years for this? I really like the book, but it isn't War and Peace.
The book consists of two characters. That's not entirely true since there are other minor persons that enter in and out of the plot. But, 98% of the novel is represented by the actions and memories of a mother and her son. Everyone else is a minor piece of a puzzle.
I liked this book for many reasons. For one, it seemed to be an actual representation of what life was like during this period of time. There was no sugar coating, no lawman ready to cross the globe to bring justice to a small town in the middle of nowhere. You were pretty much on your own for both survival and justice. Children grew up fast. It wasn't just convenient, it was necessity. Life wasn't pretty, it was just another day to get through. For another, I greatly enjoyed the author's writing style. It was verbose at times, but fluid at the same time. The dialog was simple, but at the same time rich and descriptive. Maybe that's what took the author 6 years, getting every word correct, every paragraph perfect.
"Something about Ellabelle made lying more difficult. He couldn’t concentrate on what he meant to say—words tumbled out of his mouth without his guidance. Lying, he’d come to understand, took two things: forethought and memory. Both had been disabled in Ellabelle’s presence."