Tom Guthrie is a high school teacher in rural Holt, Colorado. For some time now he's been raising his two boys alone. His wife has all but abandoned her family. Home problems can't hide the work problems. Guthrie is failing a star athlete who threatens to make life difficult for the teacher. Though he's taking a stand, he gets little support from the administration in this thankless job.
Ike and Bobby are Guthrie's nine and ten year-old sons. Their paper route earns them extra cash, but there's little else to fill the days. The brothers struggle to understand their mother's intentions on top of other events in their farm town.
Victoria Roubideaux is seventeen and pregnant. Her boyfriend is long gone and her mom has kicked her out of the house. Alone and scared, she finds support in one of her teachers. By the end of the story, Victoria will learn a great deal about life and love.
Maggie Jones is the lady in which Victoria confides. She goes above and beyond the call of duty by taking care of a student this way. Perhaps that's how it is done is Holt.
Harold and Raymond McPheron are two brothers who have managed to enter old age without a bride between them. Since their parents died when they were young, the men have been running the cattle farm. They live so far from town that their lives are devoted entirely to cows. There's little else to talk about until they open their hearts and their home to a special person.
Seven different people, seven different stories all intertwined in Kent Haruf's national bestseller, Plainsong.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Haruf has a gift with words that makes the readers feel as though they are peering in on a miniature model of an eastern Colorado town. We watch the cast as the events unfold. These folks begin the story separately, but slowly come together in a tale of love, trust and the miracle that is life.
Each chapter is titled by the name of a character and is mainly devoted to the person(s) named. Alone, the sections could be viewed as unexciting life in a boring town. However, when woven together, these personal stories are poignant and incredibly meaningful.
Haruf is to be commended for accurately capturing and describing a realm of human experiences including those of a lonely man, confused boys, a pregnant girl and two crotchety old men unfamiliar with interpersonal relationships.
The beauty of Plainsong is its simplicity. Haruf's use of dialogue (or lack thereof) conveys so much. Readers must rely on their own instincts to fully comprehend the incredible imagery of the setting and implied reactions of the characters.
Granted, this ease does have its drawbacks. Those who prefer action in their tales will claim boredom and pages full of nothing. In reality, if you find you are looking for something in Plainsong, then you miss the point entirely.
I've read several other reviews of Plainsong and most include the same observation: this story sneaks up on people. They start the book thinking it's about nothing. Upon completion they are surprised at how full the novel really is. Readers can't help becoming attached to these characters.
Haruf has written this story without the aid of quotation marks. It is hard to tell where dialogue ends and thoughts begin. I had no problem getting used to this format. In the end, it added to the magic of the entire experience.
I fear my constant praise of Plainsong will inflate expectations. I hope that's not the case. It's the simplicity of the story that makes it beautiful.
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