Not the Thanksgiving Story You Expected--A Discussion of Larry Watson's American Boy

I keep telling myself that I can skip one post a month. I thought that no post on Thanksgiving would be an appropriate gesture. But then I read a novel that started on the storied holiday, and that inspired me that today would be the perfect day to write about Larry Watson's American Boy. And then I thought, well what if I write about a Thanksgiving novel on the Tuesday before?

The story begins in the southwest corner of Willow Falls, Minnesota, 1962. Matthew Garth's mother works as a waitress at Palmer's Supper Club. His dad is gone, not that his being there would have changed the family's situation; by now, the struggling screen door plant would have probably laid him off.

He has a surrogate family of sorts. His friend Johnny is the son of the town doctor, and Dr. Dunbar has high hopes for his son to follow him into the field of medicine; Matt has sort of come along for the ride. He clearly looks up to Dr. Dunbar, who has in many ways come to treat him like his own son. But their are limits to that love, as Matt learns during a particularly rough hockey game.

So back to that Thanksgiving dinner. In the midst of the meal, there is bad news. A young woman has been shot by her boyfriend; she turns out to be the soda jerk  at the pharmacy in town, and her life is clearly hardscrabble-y. Matthew And with a new reversal in circumstances, the Dunbars take the young woman in to be the doctor's assistant. So now, Matt has too things to obsess over--the Dunbars and young Louisa Lindahl.

A triangle of sorts begins to develop, but things don't always go where you expect, despite a sort of fated quality of the whole thing. Like all of Mr. Watson's work, the writing is spare and elegant, Shaker furniture-esque. If you've only read Montana 1948 (and between the book's likestanding populartity and the Shorewood Reads program, it seems as if everyone has in fact read this now classic novel), you might think that Watson's voice is always that of a male teenager. I assure you that is not the case. But if you did like the voice of Montana 1948, this is not that far afield.

I had a very good talk with Carl, who had a handle on the details, being that he read it twice, and I'll probably ask a few questions of Beverly, who has picked the book as one of her holiday recommendations. What exactly did Dr. Dunbar think of Matt anyway? Carl noted that he sometimes seemed to think of him as more of a son than his own son Johnny. And yet their conflicts seemed to almost be a proctection response of the doctor to his biological son. I wrote more but I thought it gave away too much of the plot.

The title of the novel is apt; the story really is about adolescent versus adult urges and how we respond to them differently and how they play out, based on how old you area and where your place in society is. For this is surely a novel about haves and have nots. The question is whether Matthew can transcend all the roadblocks that stand in his way to breaking the class barrier. For those who read the end of novels first or somewhere in the middle (and I know you're out there), Mr. Watson is on to you and doesn't really give too much away in the coda.

This has been the fall of partly read books. American Boy was one of those titles where I got partly through and moved onto something else. Oh, how I hate when this happens, but the bookstore gets in the way. And when I have two recs from booksellers, I tend to gravitate towards the orphans that didn't get any recs at all. It's my responsibility to care for the less fortunate books, but just like Dr. Dunbar, I can't take care of everybody, and some would say, just like Dr. Dunbar, my universal concern belies an underlying selfishness. I'll leave someone else to sort that out.

But sometimes I get back on track and finish what I started. To get in the spirit of the holiday, I'm thankful for that. But isn't that really a lot of what Watson's novel is about? It's the fateful things that determine our life path, the people that help along the way, or don't, and the gifts they give. I suspected that Matthew, despite his tortured relationship with Dr. Dunbar, did wind up becoming a doctor, and probably would not have if this chain of events hadn't happened.

Stacy Schiff, Larry Watson, and Jon Katz, Which Means We Already Hosted Our Last Event with the Infamous Futon.

Were you planning to spend the night at Boswell Book Company? Neither was I, but despite that, among our assortment of couches was a classic futon, perched on an incredibly solid (read heavy) metal frame. I purchased it along with our other furniture when I bought the assets of the Schwartz Downer Avenue shop, but I never got a good answer on why the store needed a place to sleep.

Oh, and though I still wake people up fairly regularly (we ask you to leave the third time you doze off, by the way), you can only imagine what it was like when the store was open until 11 pm. And did I mention we have to move it on average four times per week (twice for each event)?

Several months ago, one of our customers mentioned to me that she's been looking for a futon like this for a long time, officially putting me on notice that if I found a new couch, I could sell this one.  I had a list of requirements--dark, patterned, stubby legs, no country curves but not too modern either, plus of course there were price constraints.

I wound up buying the couch at Colder's, which is still locally owned by the Felker family, and to my pleasant surprise, the couch was also made in the United States, from the England division of Lazyboy.  I believe it's the Conner model--still solid but much lighter than the metal-framed futon.  It arrives Friday.

***

So yes, we have three events this week (3 and a half, really) but all of them are outside the bookshop.  The biggie is Stacy Schiff, appearing for Cleopatra: A Life, on Tuesday, October 4, 7 pm, at Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall, 733 North Eighth Street.
1. This is an incredible deal--a free, unticketed event.
2. Stacie Schiff is an terrific speaker. This will surely be an entertaining and enlightening event.
3. The Milwaukee Public Museum exhibit opens October 14. What great preparation for your visit to see the artifacts of Cleopatra's reign!  Buy tickets here.
4. Schiff's biography is a heavily researched, powerful read that is deftly told. Cleopatra was named one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times, and Schiff received the Pulitzer Prize for Véra, her biography of Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov.
5. Can't come? Order a signed hardcover or paperback from us.
6. Watch this video and see you there!




On Wednesday, October 5, we are participating in Shorewood Public Library's two talks with Larry Watson for Montana 1948, in conjunction with the Shorewood Reads program.  Watson will be appearing at 3920 North Murray Avenue at both 3 pm and 7 pm.  And don't forget about his new novel, American Boy.

Thursday, October 6 brings another in-demand event, Jon Katz's return to Milwaukee after a several-year absence in conjunction with the release of his new book, Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die.  Katz's tales of Bedlam Farm and his beloved dogs, chronicled in Soul of a Dog, A Dog Year, Izzy and Lenore, and other books.

Read a bit more about Katz's life with his dogs:

"A number of dogs have lived with me on the farm since I came, some still here, others not. I have no problem sharing dogs with other people, when that's appropriate, or even giving them away, if that makes the dogs happier. But I also have dogs I couldn't ever part with.

At the moment, I have three remarkable dogs I love to death, all quite different: Rose, the working dog, Izzy, the Soul Dog who brought me to hospice work, and Lenore, the Hound of Love. Rose came from a herding line in Colorado, Izzy was rescued off a farm near Cambridge, N.Y., and Lenore came from a wonderful breeder of Labs, Gretchen Pinkel of Kee-Pin Labradors." More on his website.

Jon Katz is appearing at the Wisconsin Humane Society, Thursday, October 6, at 7 pm.  This is a ticketed event; buy tickets on their website. The $5 admission goes back to the Humane Society. Space is limited.

Just in case you've heard rumors about the distemper virus, the animals have been treated, and the adoption suspension has been lifted.  All in a day's work, I guess.

Banned Book Bracelets, and What's Going on This Week at Boswell.

Confession--we don't have a "banned book week" display this year. Between our event displays and other programming displays, plus the tables needed for calendars and other stuff, we simply ran out of room.  My apologies, and I hope to do a better job in 2012.

We did bring in the banned book bracelets that many indie bookstores are selling. Anne had gotten one as a gift several years back, and when she showed it to me, I agreed that we could try carrying them.  They come in two sizes--the smaller icons are mostly young adult novels. A percentage of sales goes to ABFFE (the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression).

Meanwhile, you're probably wondering what's going on at Boswell this week, aside from our Patrick Carman event at the Greenfield Public Library, which I wrote up yesterday. We've got four other great events at the bookstore.  Pardon me for a little paraphrasing and hats off to Stacie, who originally compiles this info for our press release.

Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 pm:

Mary Bergin, author of Sidetracked in the Midwest: A Green Guide for Travelers.

Did you know there is a Prairie Chicken Festival in Stevens Point every spring? Or that bicycles Lance Armstrong rode in seven Tour de France wins can be viewed at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo?

Sidetracked in the Midwest features such wondrous, intriguing places as these Wisconsin novelties, and more, all grouped into four categories of ecotourism: food and drink, lodging and retreats, nature and wildlife, the old and the new. Whether you want to visit a Michigan art park, observe wolves and bears in Ely, Minnesota, or swing on ropes inside St. Louis’ City Museum, Bergin gathers together an eclectic mix of green nooks and crannies bound to educate, entertain and enrich with a conscience.

Mary Bergin is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who roams the globe but specializes in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin. Her work appears in AAA Living, Wisconsin Trails, USA Today, and DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. Bergin is also the author of two previous travel books, Sidetracked in Wisconsin and Hungry for Wisconsin.

Thursday, September 29, 7 pm:
Larry Watson, author of America’s Boy, Montana 1948 and numerous other novels.

We meet Matthew Garth in the fall of 1962, when the shooting of a young woman on Thanksgiving Day sets off a chain of unsettling events in his small hometown of Willow Falls, Minnesota. Matthew first sees Louisa Lindahl in Dr. Dunbar’s home office, and at the time her bullet wound makes nearly as strong an impression as her unclothed body. Fueled over the following weeks by his feverish desire for this mysterious woman and a deep longing for the comfort and affluence that appears to surround the Dunbars, Matthew finds himself drawn into a vortex of greed, manipulation, and ultimately betrayal.

“Larry Watson’s latest book, American Boy, may be his best yet. With the patient skill of a seasoned writer, Watson tells an engaging coming-of-age story of a young man in Willow Falls, Minnesota during the 1960s. Youthful passions, heartbreaks, loyalties and moral uncertainties are all rendered in vivid color.” —David Rhodes, author of Driftlesa.

And this from Carl: "A true, realistic, and intelligent novel of a teen-aged Minnesota boy in the early 1960s, in which a woman with a gunshot wound captures young Matthew Garth's imagination and continues to hold it in a fierce grip. Young Matthew first encounters Louisa Lindahl in the office of the town doctor, at whose home he spends much of his time. Along the way, Matthew endeavors to work his way into Louisa's affections, while pursuing typical teenage pursuits with Johnny Dunbar, the doctor's son. While Matthew ultimately finds out the answers to most of the questions he has about this mysterious young woman, many of these answers aren't the ones he wants. Watson does a wonderful job of peering under the masks of these small town folks and helping us see what their real selves are."

Larry Watson is the author of seven widely acclaimed novels, including the best-selling Montana 1948, which was awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize and a Best Book citation by the American Library Association, short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin International Award, and published in ten foreign editions. Montana 1948 was recently chosen as the official selection of the inaugural Shorewood Reads community book program. Larry Watson lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is a visiting professor of English and creative writing at Marquette University.

Montana 1948 has been chosen as the Shorewood Reads selection for fall 2011, and Watson will be speaking about the book on Wednesday, October 5, at the Shorewood Public Library, at both 3 pm and 7 pm. Visit their website here.

Friday, September 30, 7 pm:
Martin Hintz, author of A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews and Booze.

Crack open this comprehensive history of Brew City booze. Explore Milwaukee's "rum holes," discover how the city weathered Prohibition and which Jones Island sported the longest mustache. Copy down the best recipe involving Sprecher Special Amber, Rainbow Trout and sauerkraut. Sample the rich heritage of Pabst, Schlitz, Gettelman and Miller--the folk who turned Milwaukee into the Beer Capital of the World. And save some room for the more recent contributions of distillers and craft brewers who continue to make the city an exciting place for the thoughtful drinker.

Martin Hintz has been a freelance writer since 1975, after seven years with The Milwaukee Sentinel as an editor and reporter. Founder and publisher of The Irish American Post, he is also the author of hundreds of articles for major newspapers and magazines including American Archaeology, Milwaukee Magazine, National Geographic World, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Midwest Living, The Writer, Home & Away, and the Wisconsin Academy Review. Hintz has authored or edited nearly 100 books about Milwaukee and Wisconsin, including Wisconsin Cheese, Got Murder, Celebrate the Legend: 25 Years of IrishFest, and several titles on the Images of Milwaukee series.

Saturday, October 1, 3 pm:

Sebastian Barry, Man Booker Prize shortlisted (and for the current novel, longlisted)author of On Canaan’s Side.

A lyrical writer of Irish novels often based on his own family’s history, Barry’s work steadily receives glowing critical praise and he has twice been nominated for the Man Booker Prize. A fictionalized account of Barry’s own great-aunt’s life, On Canaan’s Side is no exception. Mike Fischer, in a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review, calls it “gorgeously written.”

Carl, one of Boswell’s own booksellers, describes and praises On Canaan’s Side:

“After her grandson dies by his own hand, a grief-stricken elderly woman chronicles her life in exile in the U.S. while trying to decide if she can go on. Lily Bere's journal of events and emotions thrillingly carries the reader through the different eras of 20th-century America, with all the accompanying details of language and mores. In a style that's both personal and inclusive, Lily's account also vividly captures her life in Revolutionary Ireland before being forced to flee for her life with her husband. This great novel is the best book I've read by the gifted Sebastian Barry, which is saying quite a lot.”

And, bookseller Sharon writes “It is by turns heartbreaking and funny. A fascinating read from an author who is a master of language and storytelling.”

Dublin-born Sebastian Barry is author of numerous plays, poetry collections, and novels, including Annie Dunne, The Secret Scripture and A Long, Long Way, the latter short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His awards include the Irish-America Fund Literary Award, the London Critics Circle Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, and Costa Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year.

It's a good week for Carl!