[April 6, 2023]

"Westerns" (as in novels set in the "wild west" of the United States during the 19th century) are often absent from lists of the best historical fiction. Perhaps that is because many consider Western novels to represent their own genre, but I believe they most certainly fall under the definition of historical fiction. What's more, it can be argued that the Western is the only truly "American" genre that exists. Sure, there are books set in places like the Australian Outback that have many of the same trappings of the genre, but when most hear the term "Western," their minds go straight to the wild plains, deserts, and mountains of the western United States. There is a majesty and romance to the setting that lends itself well to storytelling, even if the authentic "old west" was not nearly as wonderful as we like to imagine.

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, strikes a fine balance between portraying the west's awe-inspiring grandeur and its unforgiving brutality. It does not shy away from the harsh and often times unfair consequences of living in such a time and place, and fills its world with wonderfully-drawn characters to whom the reader becomes emotionally attached. At its core, that is the magic of this novel -- its memorable characters and the journey the reader takes with them. It is a long journey -- Lonesome Dove's word count is higher than The Brothers Karamazov -- and by its end one gets a sense of having been transformed. There is a sentimental wistfulness at the conclusion of the reading odyssey. Like with all great books, the reader closes its pages not wanting the experience to be over, despite the cruel twists and turns it often takes along the way. That bittersweet feeling of accomplishment and longing is likely the reason for its almost universal praise and why many call it the best book they have ever read.

It may not be the best book I have ever read, but there were times when I thought it could aspire to that distinction. There are parts that will remain with me forever, and the characters and setting are so brilliantly done that it is easy to be absorbed into the pages. Like all great historical fiction, the world is fully realized to the point that it is almost like reading a fantasy novel set in a secondary world created out of whole cloth. There are heroes, villains, and monsters walking the land. It is a quest tale. It is a coming of age story. It is a love story. It is a lesson in friendship. It is also much more than all that. There is something here for everyone to enjoy, which, again, is probably why so many readers end up loving it. 

However, this sometimes scattered, "kitchen sink" narrative style is also the primary quibble I have with the novel. Some may feel there are almost too many point of view characters and plot threads happening at once, particularly in the middle third of the book. While these threads do eventually converge and get tied together -- a little too conveniently at times considering how huge our setting is -- it can make it more difficult to get invested in each story line when we are constantly jumping around from chapter to chapter. McMurtry does handle it well, never straying away from a point of view character for too long, but it can be challenging for a reader more accustomed to straightforward storytelling. It is also a testament to his talent that we can get so attached to so many different characters despite spending relatively little time with each over any extended stretch. He manages to do a lot of his best character work while simultaneously advancing the narrative through action rather than grinding the story to a halt with extraneous exposition. With such a long book there will obviously be some slower, introspective portions that take place largely inside a character's head, but McMurtry keeps the narrative moving at a fairly quick pace throughout. The "main story" of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana does take some time to get going, yet I personally enjoyed the many pages spent setting the stage for that journey. It makes it all the more meaningful once we do begin that adventure. 

If I may expand on the parallels to a fantasy novel, I feel Lonesome Dove shares a lot in common with The Lord of the Rings. Both are sprawling epic sagas with a quest at the center of their stories. The titular small Texas town of Lonesome Dove in which the novel begins serves as our Shire -- a quiet, idyllic (some may say boring) home that must be left behind to experience the adventures of the wider world. The transformative journey the characters and we as readers take changes us, so much so that at the end of the tale when we return home, it no longer feels like it once did. We are no longer the same people we were at the outset. 

If one does fall in love with the world of Lonesome Dove, McMurtry did return to the setting with a sequel and two prequels, but I have not yet read these. Honestly, Lonesome Dove is such a wonderful, self-contained story that I do not feel the need to explore these other books. There is also the famous 1989 miniseries featuring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call, the book's two primary protagonists. This TV movie is often given credit for creating a bit of a Western revival in the early 1990s, but I have only ever watched the first of the four episodes. Duvall and Jones are great actors, yet neither are consistent with my vision of the characters from the book. Duvall's "Gus" is just not gregarious enough, while Jones's Call is not gruff enough. 

The book, though, is an undisputed masterpiece of Western literature (both in terms of "the Western" as a genre and Western Literature with a capital "L"). While it was certainly not the first Western to transcend beyond the "dime novel" and pulpy beginnings of the genre, it is the most famous and the most acclaimed. It falls somewhere in the middle of the highly romanticized, "cowboys and indians," early Hollywood version of the West and the darker revisionist Westerns that have come to dominate the genre over the past few decades. The cruel and often deadly elements of the era are not ignored, but enough room in the wide, wild West is left for heroism, love, and friendship. It may not be the "great American novel," but it is a great novel about America that everyone should experience.