Title: Let Him GoAuthor: Larry Watson
Published by: Milkweed Editions on Nov. 3, 2020
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 280
Format: Paperback
Source: Publishers Group Canada
Book Rating: 10/10
Now a Major Motion Picture from Focus Features, Starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane
The celebrated author of Montana 1948 returns to the American West in this riveting tale of familial love and its unexpected consequences.
Dalton, North Dakota. It’s September 1951: years since George and Margaret Blackledge lost their son when he was thrown from a horse; months since his widow left with their only grandson and married another man. Margaret is resolved to find and retrieve her beloved grandson, while George, a retired sheriff, is none too eager to stir up trouble.
Unable to sway his wife from her mission, George takes to the road with Margaret by his side, traveling through the Badlands to Montana. But when Margaret tries to bring little Jimmy home, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight.
Review:
Harrowing, gritty, and atmospheric!
Let Him Go transports you to the small towns of the American Midwest during the early 1950s and into the lives of George and Margaret Blackledge. A quiet, unassuming couple who after suffering the devastating loss of their son, their daughter-in-law’s subsequent remarriage to a hoodlum, and the relocation of their grandson, find themselves on a journey where personalities clash, emotions run wild, and conflict is inevitable.
The prose is effortless and precise. The characters are vulnerable, raw, and impulsive. And the plot is a tense, thrilling tale of life, loss, love, grief, rage, fury, familial duty, palpable emotion, violence, and murder.
Overall, Let Him Go is a tragic, haunting, beautiful story by Watson that is ultimately a powerful page-turner where the spaces between the words almost say more than the words themselves.
On a side note, I was lucky enough to watch an advance screening of the movie adaptation of this novel and was amazed at how closely it followed the original story. If you get a chance, I would highly recommend not only reading this novel but also watching the newly released movie starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane.
This book is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Larry Watson
Larry Watson was born in 1947 in Rugby, North Dakota. He grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was educated in its public schools. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Susan Gibbons, in 1967. He received his BA and MA from the University of North Dakota, his Ph.D. from the creative writing program at the University of Utah, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Ripon College. Watson has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1987, 2004) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
