Montana 1948

A stark tragedy unfolds in Watson's taut, memorable novel, the winner of the publisher's National Fiction Prize. During the summer of 1948, a solid, middle-class family in a small Montana town is wrenched apart by scandal, murder and suicide. Narrator David Hayden tells the story as an adult looking back at the traumatic events that scarred yet matured him when he was 12. His pious Lutheran mother informs his father, Wesley, the county sheriff, that David's uncle Frank, a doctor, has been molesting and raping Native American girls during routine medical exams. Uncle Frank's latest victim is Marie Little Soldier, the Haydens"Sioux housekeeper. When Marie dies, presumably of pneumonia, David provides key evidence that implicates his uncle in her murder. Frank is arrested by his brother, who locks the confessed sexual abuser in the basement to save him from the embarrassment of jail. David confronts his uncle's racism and the evasions and denials his family has constructed to cover up the affair. In crisp, restrained prose, Watson ( In a Dark Time ) indelibly portrays the moral dilemma of a family torn between justice and loyalty; by implication, he also illuminates some dark corners of our national history. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc."

De l'été de mes douze ans, je garde les images les plus saisissantes et les plus tenaces de toute mon enfance, que le temps passant n'a pu chasser ni même estomper". Ainsi s'ouvre le récit du jeune David Hayden. Cet été 1948, une jeune femme sioux porte de lourdes accusations à l'encontre de l'oncle du garçon, charismatique héros de guerre et médecin respecté. Le père de David, shérif d'une petite ville du Montana, doit alors affronter son frère aîné. Impuissant, David assistera au déchirement des deux frères et découvrira la difficulté d'avoir à choisir entre la loyauté à sa famille et la justice.

A stark tragedy unfolds in Watson's taut, memorable novel, the winner of the publisher's National Fiction Prize. During the summer of 1948, a solid, middle-class family in a small Montana town is wrenched apart by scandal, murder and suicide. Narrator David Hayden tells the story as an adult looking back at the traumatic events that scarred yet matured him when he was 12. His pious Lutheran mother informs his father, Wesley, the county sheriff, that David's uncle Frank, a doctor, has been molesting and raping Native American girls during routine medical exams. Uncle Frank's latest victim is Marie Little Soldier, the Haydens"Sioux housekeeper. When Marie dies, presumably of pneumonia, David provides key evidence that implicates his uncle in her murder. Frank is arrested by his brother, who locks the confessed sexual abuser in the basement to save him from the embarrassment of jail. David confronts his uncle's racism and the evasions and denials his family has constructed to cover up the affair. In crisp, restrained prose, Watson ( In a Dark Time ) indelibly portrays the moral dilemma of a family torn between justice and loyalty; by implication, he also illuminates some dark corners of our national history. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc."

Résumé : Dalton, Dakota du Nord, 1951. Après la mort tragique de leur fils, George et Margaret Blackledge doivent maintenant accepter d'être séparés de leur petit-fils adoré, Jimmy. Car leur belle-fille, Lorna, vient de se remarier à un certain Donnie Weboy et l'a suivi dans le Montana. Hostile à l'égard de Donnie qu'elle soupçonne de maltraiter la jeune femme et l'enfant, Margaret décide de se lancer à leur recherche pour ramener Jimmy coûte que coûte. George ne peut que plier devant la détermination de son épouse. En s'approchant peu à peu de leur but, les Blackledge découvrent le pouvoir du clan Weboy, qui semble empoisonner toute la région. Et la vérité éclate très vite : cette puissante famille, dirigée par une femme redoutable, ne lâchera jamais le garçon sans combattre.