The small town of Lone Mountain, Minnesota is still reeling from the shocking news that Seth Fallon, a troubled teen, has shot and killed the sheriff, before committing suicide in a cornfield outside town. Most affected by the news are Grizz, the boy's father, and Clara, Seth's English teacher and wife of the town's new pastor.
It's really hard for me to describe what this book is about. If I were to list off things that happen in the book, it would all seem pretty inconsequential compared to the major event at the beginning, but that doesn't mean this is a dull read. Far from it. Clara is a failed PhD student of Anglo-Saxon literature who has been teaching her students Beowulf. She has a particular bond with Seth, despite the fact that he's the class outcast, and it's Clara's house that Seth visits moments before he makes his final trip into town (the book opens with Clara in the back of the house, filled with an urge to not answer the door without knowing why). Clara's haunted by that choice--could she have talked Seth down, or would she just have been one more victim? On top of that, Clara's dealing with her how fledgling marriage, an unexpected pregnancy, and the strange feeling that drew her to this town, seeking a mother she only knew through he father's fairy tales. Maltman's use of language here is amazing at creating a mood and setting that fits the dark story perfectly. He also weaves in Norse mythology with Clara's father's stories of wolves and mountains, which just makes the story feel more like some dark story told on a winter's night.
I should note, though, the reason "historical fiction" is in quotes up at the top of this entry: Maltman sets his story in the mid-1980s, but the rural setting makes it feel more timeless. In fact, until someone mentions a date near the end of the book, I was under the impression that this book was set in the present day. My one complaint was that it was a little jarring to realize that I was picturing the wrong time period for the last 300 pages. If you enjoy good literary writing and dark, chilling stories, this is a must-read.
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