So Brave, Young, and Handsome, by Leif Enger

Leif Enger's novel, Peace Like a River, is one of my top five favorite books of all time. So when I saw So Brave, Young, and Handsome in my Christian bookstore the other day, I snapped it up.

The timing was perfect. I'd just quit reading a much-touted general market bestseller about halfway through the book. The story was too dark for my taste, and I didn't want to imprint those images on my brain.

When I opened So Brave, Young, and Handsome I felt like someone was sitting across from me telling me a story. So I settled in to listen. The novel is the tale of an aging train robber, an even older former Pinkerton detective, and the humble writer who is swept up in their adventures. The time frame is shortly after the turn of the last century, when the wild west was fading into legend.

The humble writer, Monte Becket, is the story’s narrator. He becomes intrigued with a neighbor, Glendon, who lives down the river from Monte’s home. Eventually Glendon comes to share meals with Monte’s family, and beguiles Monte into traveling with him while he tries to right an old wrong.

Enger excels at description, using metaphors and similes I wouldn't be able to come up with in a million years. For example, page 64 begins with these sentences:

"We struck no town that night and laid up at dawn on a sandy shore under a cottonwood tree. The tree would’ve provided superior shade, but by noon the sky turned to funeral wool and November came hissing through the grass. There are people who 'predict' the weather, but on the Great Plains these are a fragile and disappointed little group."

So Brave, Young, and Handsome reminded me of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in the way Enger mixed lightheartedness into a story with its fair share of old West grittiness. When you’re in the mood to have someone tell you a yarn about some memorable experiences, sit down and read what Monte Becket has to say. I highly recommend this novel.

Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner

Tina Ann Forkner's debut novel, Ruby Among Us, is the story of Lucy DiCamillo’s haunted memories of her mother, who died when Lucy was a child.
The opening chapter, titled "How to Measure Grief," is a stunning beginning to a mesmerizing story. The reader will be immediately drawn into world of questions without answers.
Many of us hunger to learn more about our mothers. In Lucy's case, this quest is thwarted at every turn by her well-meaning but fiercely protective grandmother, Kitty. Is Kitty hiding truths about her daughter, Ruby, or is she protecting her own past?
Forkner’s writing is skilled and spot-on, never more so than when she is in Lucy's point of view. One sentence I particularly loved, and underlined, reads as follows: “Tears didn’t make me an idiot or some breakable thing.” What woman among us hasn't felt the frustration of being treated like we were brainless because we cried?
Lucy's search for belonging takes her from Sacramento and San Francisco to the lush Sonoma Valley. Forker's descriptions bring each locale to vibrant life. I grew up in the area Forkner writes about, and could picture every scene. But a reader who has never set foot in California would be equally at home due to the author’s astute attention to detail.
Ruby Among Us had me racing through the chapters, as much caught up in the hunger to know Lucy’s heritage as Lucy herself. The satisfying climax of the story will resonate with readers long after they’ve finished this book.
This book is a solid addition to my bookshelf. I recommend it as a heart-stirring story of mother-daughter love.