During the Great Depression of the 1930s, four orphans, ages 16
downwards, create their own family and escape the abusive Lincoln School
for Indians in Minnesota, heading to St.Louis in a canoe. Murder,
mayhem, and magic ensue. Nurturing hope, pursued by evil throughout
their entire journey, they are helped and harmed in turn by the other
people they encounter. On the rivers and in the towns they meet gamblers
and thieves, whores and liars, faith healers and phantoms—both good and
bad among them, the flotsam and jetsam of humans caught up in a time of
huge upheaval.
This novel is a fantastic story of the real
America, still on hand, with its hustlers and innocents trampled.
Krueger also highlights the spiritual life of youth in this coming of
age story: their sense of justice and mercy, their judgements of self
and others, their seemingly clear vision of the hypocrisy of adults,
their sense of wonder and gratitude.
This Tender Land is an
adventurous and tender book. Though his villains have progressed to a
place beyond redemption in this life, hurting children for their own
ends, Krueger still leaves us with compassion for those who make bad
choices in life and hope for those in horrific circumstances.
As
I read, the adventures of Huckleberry Finn immediately came to mind,
and indeed in the afterward the author pays homage to Twain. The rascal
Huck was always more adult than Tom Sawyer—he had to be—and the
technique of telling the story from the perspective of a main character
recalling (and probably embellishing) the past works really well here.
William Kent Krueger is a great writer, but like his narrator, he’s a
wonderful storyteller, moving things along while making us care—and
that’s harder.
There’s something for everyone in this book:
drama, humor, and heart—with a touch of magic and mystery as well. It
would make a fantastic read-aloud to share, an engaging book club book.
It really is one for the ages, I hope to become a classic—one of the
best books of the year. (Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the digital
review copy.)
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