Fiction

Montana 1948

By
Larry Watson
“Meditative, rich, and written close to the bone.” —LOUISE ERDRICH
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“From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them.”

 So begins Larry Watson’s modern classic, widely recognized as both “one of the top 100 novels of the West” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “a significant and elegant addition to contemporary American fiction in general” (Washington Post). The novel tells the story of the cataclysmic summer of 1948, when the charges of a young Sioux woman force David Hayden’s father, the sheriff of their small town, to confront his older brother, a charming war hero and respected doctor. As the small town takes sides, David witnesses the unraveling of his family brought on by the revelation of a simple truth.

 An astonishing tale of love and courage, Montana 1948 asks what it means to make the terrible choice between family loyalty and justice.

ISBN
9781571310613
Publish Date
Pages
190
Dimensions
5.25 × 7.5 × 0.5 in
Weight
7.6 oz
Cover Art
Reader's Guide
Author
Larry Watson

Larry Watson

Larry Watson is the author of numerous novels, including Montana 1948, American Boy, As Good As Gone, and Let Him Go, which was adapted into a film by Focus Features and released in 2020. Born in Rugby, North Dakota, he grew up in Bismarck and is now Visiting Professor at Marquette University. He lives in Milwaukee.

Praise and Prizes

  • “Meditative, rich, and written close to the bone.”

    Louise Erdrich

  • “Utterly mesmerizing … . Fiction at its finest.”

    The Nation

  • “[A] significant and elegant addition to the fiction of the American West, and to contemporary American fiction in general.”

    Washington Post

  • “A taut, memorable novel.”

    Publishers Weekly
    (starred review)

  • “A spare, unpretentious but riveting book … deeply felt and honest.”

    Houston Chronicle

  • “Be prepared to read this compact book in one sitting.”

    Baltimore Sun

  • “A quiet, almost meditative reflection on the hopelessly complex issue of doing the right thing.”

    Booklist
    (starred review)

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