Platte River
The characters in this impressive collection of three novellas are all outsized--in body, and in longing for the sanctuary and protection of love. Water is a unifying factor, a symbol of the free-flowing clarity and strength they aspire to achieve. The tales have an almost magical intensity, born of clear, supple prose animated by stark and startling imagery. In "Mahatma Joe," an obsessed, aging preacher who has tamed the passions of the residents of Grass Valley, Montana, brings a curious salvation to the young woman who tests her physical strength as she comes to share his vision. "Field Events" introduces Paul Bunyan-sized A.C., whose muscular power moves him to dance in a field with a cow on his back. His mute need for love leads him to join the Iron family, among whom he learns to throw the discus--and much more. The protagonist of the title story is Harley, an aging former linebacker, whose visit with a former college buddy gives him a glimpse of the limitations of his body and of the elusiveness of human connection. Bass ( The Ninemile Wolves ) is known primarily for his lucid and lyrical writing about nature, and this collection has plenty of that--all three stories take place within a stone's throw of the Canadian border in harsh environments briefly made idyllic by warmer seasons. But what makes this a compelling book are his finely detailed, complex characters, simple men and women crafted with sympathy and understanding. Author tour.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.