The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie

 I'm all for troubled heroes, but I don't like troubling ones. And Boone Caudill, the main character in this epic tale of the American West, is about as troubling as a hero can get. 

That's how a review of The Big Sky, the classic Western masterpiece by Pulitzer Prize winner A.B. Guthrie, begins on Goodreads, setand a sad testament it is to the state of the reading public. So enamored are we now of "representation" that we are incapable of immersing oursleves in a novel unless the character looks like us, thinks like us, acts like us - or, to be more precise, acts like the saint we imagine ourselves to be. 

Boone Caudill is not, by the way, the "hero" of the novel, as there is no hero to be found. He is the main character, but only if you ignore the American West itself, the true and only pure character to be found. The novel opens with Boone the victim of parental abuse, and in short order he is chased, betrayed, framed, tortured by a lawman, and made a fugitive. Caudill, a man of many internal flaws, came by them the hard way. 

Set in the 1830's, there is a narrative thread connecting the characters from start to finish, but a thread is all it is. The Big Sky is not concerned about plot or structure. It's more a tale of barely related,  self contained episodes of Caudill's life. 

Be forewarned that life can be dark.  I've already mentioned how the book begins; before it ends there will be murder,  mutilation,  rape, starvation, spousal abuse,  cannibalism, and betrayal.  No one is immune,  not the white characters, not the natives, and it occurs without judgement, just another part of the wild land the characters inhabit.

There is beauty too,  in Guthrie's pen and his insights into the world he so thoroughly and lovingly creates. 

I did NOT have difficulty reading about a troubled lead,  but I did have issues with the frequent use of the N word.  I know,  different era,  different people,  and I'm sure it's accurate to 1837. It was still jarring to read in 2024, especially as it was hard to put my finger on just how it was being used.  I could be wrong,  but I think it was only used once in reference to a black man, was more often than not to describe themselves (white), and in all its uses it seemed rarely to be an insult. Again,  jarring and confusing. 

It is a great novel,  but don't expect sunshine and lollipops.

Grade: B