Review - Plainsong

Finished reading: Plainsong by Kent Haruf 📚

I wish I could remember how I came to own this book.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed it on a bookshelf here in my office. I don’t recall buying it, borrowing it, or otherwise acquiring it. I definitely didn’t get it while living in this house. It might have come in a box of my old books mailed out from my folks, but the publication date doesn’t make that likely. Either way, I’m glad I saw it and I’m very glad I read it.

This is a very skillfully written story about a small Colorado town and the people who live in it. The town itself is something of a character and even gets a named chapter at the end. Kent Haruf’s prose is deceptively simple and plain; he uses it to great effect, creating a vivid portrait people whose lives intersect in unexpected ways.

I’m a sucker for great prose, but can at times get distracted by it and spend too much time focusing on the craft and not enough time focusing on what’s being crafted. Not so in this case. I was completely caught up in these characters' lives, especially Victoria Roubideaux and the McPherons. Haruf could have drifted into corn and sentimentality, but he doesn’t. He keeps it authentic and tender.

I grew up in Colorado and spent time in the part of the state where the fictional Holt is located. I also spent a lot of time on the road meeting folks like these characters, which is probably why they resonated so deeply. They’re grounded and very real, and there’s a depth that Haruf teases out that brings them to life.

I am happy to learn that there are more books about Holt to enjoy, and I plan to. This was an absolutely unexpected treat and I’m glad I found it on my shelf, however the hell it got there.

5/5 stars

(Note: I am trying to be more disciplined in my ratings; I’ve been pretty free and loose with the ol' stars. Even so, this book is a fiver all day)

(Second note: I’m also trying to make sure any reviews or thoughts I write about books start here on my own blog and only later get moved to other platforms. #POSSE and all that)