Montana 1948 by Larry Watson starts out with a bang. And it doesn’t let up. It’s a gripping story of family loyalty being shattered by lust, abused power, and betrayal.
Twelve year old David Hayden sees his family ripped apart by a scandal. David, his straight-laced mother Gail, and father Wesley, live in town. His father is serving his second term as sheriff of Mercer County, in the small northeast Montana town of Bentrock.
Wesley’s overbearing father, David’s grandfather, is a wealthy cattle rancher. It was he who insisted Wesley run for sheriff, despite the fact that Wesley had worked hard for his law degree. It had been Wesley’s dream to practice law, but gave in to his father’s demand that he become sheriff.
David’s uncle Frank, Wesley’s brother, is a respected doctor, a war hero, whom their father obviously favors. The two brothers are opposite in nature: Wesley is quiet, reserved; Frank is gregarious, always ready with a joke.
Since David’s mother works, they have a housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier, a Sioux from the Fort Warren Indian Reservation. David and Marie are very close so the boy is upset when he discovers Marie is quite ill.
After David’s mother sees no improvement in Marie’s condition with home remedies, they call Frank. Marie is upset, hysterical, that he is called, preferring to be treated by a Reservation doctor. She finally confides to David’s mother that Frank has been sexually assaulting his female Indian patients for years. What follows—the scandal and resulting violence—alters David’s tranquil family life.
Montana 1948 is written in first person from David’s point of view. He learns that sometimes one has to choose between loyalty and justice. I highly recommend this gripping novel. It is a story of family dynamics at its best.
