White Crosses by Larry Watson is a slow moving book about a good and well-meaning but misguided man, insecure, self-critical, and ultimately a failure. Jack Nevelsen is the sheriff of a remote county in Montana near the Canadian border, a man with a lot of responsibility but not a great deal to do. Serious crime is not a problem in his county and he and his deputy are easily able to handle the complaints about barking dogs, a drunken man wandering in the street, and the occasional invented problems of lonely people.
But then one night he gets a call that there has been an auto accident with two fatalities. Since it's the night of the local high school graduation he fears it is two teenagers. But it turns out to be the principal of the local elementary school and a young girl who graduated that day. Suitcases in the trunk seem to indicate they were running off together.
For reasons even he doesn't really understand, the sheriff concocts a story to explain away what he thinks is a scandal that would tear the town apart. And once having spread his story he has to ride herd on the people who might let the truth slip out. After a short while two white crosses appear near where the accident occurred.
I wish I could tell you the ending because the irony is so sharp and bitter it is almost unbearable.
Although the book is set only about 700 miles from where I live, I read about it in an excellent review by dovegreyreader, who is 5,000 miles away in England. She read about it in another fine review by Kevin from Canada, who is at least 3,500 miles from Devon. This is Globalization I can really appreciate.
I have posted a large picture of the cover of the book because the photograph fits so well the story within and is so starkly beautiful.
2012 No 29
Yes,dovegreyreader and Kevin from Canada are both among the finest bloggers on the web.
Posted by: Shelley | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:45 AM