Description:
“Coyote
never seems to learn. Yet, he never fails to teach, mostly through
the error of his ways. He taught the Nez Perce that they came from
the Heart of the Monster. Now, he is teaching modern day Idahoans,
they have a monster in their heart. This is Private Idaho, a place
that exists in the minds of accidental natives and territorial
pranksters who take out their resentments on tourists and real estate
speculators. They are anonymous and deadly. In this tale of the New
West, where the cowboys are women and the Indians wear Rollerblades,
be alert for exploding potatoes, the allure of mineshafts and the
terrible finesse of chainsaws.”
Author:
“Rick
Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the Blackfoot
River. He is a former Marine, a whitewater kayaker, a sculptor, a
sports car buff and the alpha male of his schnauzer pack. As a
student, he served as editor of Boise State University's nationally
acclaimed literary magazine, cold-drill.
During Idaho's Centennial, Rick wrote and produced the official
Centennial radio series, Idaho
Snapshots, which aired
daily on stations statewide. The program won the Governor's Take
Pride in Idaho award and was honored in the national Take Pride in
America program.”
To
learn more about Mr. Just please visit his website.
Appraisal:
I’m
a sometimes Idahoan with roots in the state going back several
generations. About twenty years ago I was living elsewhere and
suggested to a co-worker, another expat-Idahoan, that beyond the
obvious differences between rural and more populous areas common in
most states, that Idaho was actually three states (maybe I should
have said regions to be less divisive) with their own distinct
cultural norms. The first of these is The Panhandle (which is a cross
between their close neighbors of Eastern Oregon and Western Montana,
with a dash of right-wing extremism thrown in to keep things
interesting). Next is the Mormon influenced Southeast, in many ways
more of a far-northern outpost of Utah. Last, is the Southwest, with
Boise, the only significant urban area and Sun Valley, the two places
most likely known to people largely unacquainted with the Gem State.
Each
of these areas is represented by at least one significant character
in Keeping Private Idaho,
and the diversity of the characters in the novel is reflective of
reality. Thrown into the mix is Coyote of Native American mythology
as another major character. The large cast of characters was
difficult to track in the beginning. As the story progressed and each
distinctive personality solidified in my mind, that became less of a
problem.
One
thing each area of the state has in common is tourism as a
significant industry. The timeframe when the story takes place (the
mid-90s) was also a period when Idaho, along with many other western
states, experienced conflict, with rapid growth, an influx of
“outsiders” moving in (many from California), and rapid
appreciation in housing prices. At times this caused disagreements
and clashes between the natives and the newcomers, with bumper
stickers saying “Don’t Californicate Idaho” as one obvious
outward representation of those opposed to the changes.
It’s
against this backdrop that the story of Keeping
Private Idaho is told.
It’s a cautionary tale (luckily the modern day Monkey Wrench Gang
depicted here was never reality). Part of me realized while reading
that some things, like a rural rancher wishing her city cousins would
get as nostalgic about bucking hay as they did during branding
season, wouldn’t evoke the same knowing chuckle from everyone as it
did for me. Some of the subtle humor (the names of the children in
the Thompson family, for example) wouldn’t tickle the funny bone
for everyone, like it did for me. (In fact, most people would
probably have to have it explained to even realize there was humor
there.)
However,
Keeping Private Idaho
also explores some universal themes, dealing with change and the
concept of geographical and cultural roots, being the two that
resonated most with me. I would expect those parts of the story to be
entertaining and thought provoking for all readers, even those who
have never been within a thousand miles of the state.
FYI:
Added
for Reprise Review:
Keeping Private Idaho
was a nominee in the Contemporary/Literary/General category for B&P
2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran April 22, 2014
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000
words
No comments:
Post a Comment