This MAGNIFICENT book is both epic and intimate in its telling of a lifetime on the run and is a must for lovers of southern gothic writers William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy. Proulx interweaves a series of seemingly disjointed episodes from multiple subjective vantage points with a sophisticated (and deliciously ambiguous) symbolic system. The ingenious structure somehow manages to avoid being contrived and the gorgeous yet restrained language is infused with humour and pathos. Whilst it works perfectly as a great yarn, the themes of self-exile and moral decay are reminiscent of Faulkner (and his later acolyte Cormac McCarthy) in his prime. It is stunning that this was a first novel and in my humble opinion has yet to be topped by the author who went on to be celebrated for The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain.