Larry Watson returns to the same landscape and era where his brilliant Montana 1948 was set, and once again captures precisely the landscape, the people, and the ethos of that time and place. Like Kent Haruf, Watson writes with a spare, taut style, yet manages to unearth essential truths about not only his characters, but about human wants and needs, as well.

Let Him Go, ultimately, is a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions – not only in the story but in the characters whose own bone-deep beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses, lead them inevitably to their fates.

When we first meet Margaret Blackledge, she is a woman on a mission – to find and retrieve her only grandson, spirited away by his mother after the death of Margaret’s son. She confronts her husband of many years and offers him a matter-of-fact choice – come with her now, no arguments, no conditions, or be left behind. And George, reluctantly, almost wordlessly, gets in the car – not particularly because he agrees that the child would be better with them, but because life with this unbending, strong-willed partner is as necessary to him as the air he breathes.

Their journey to locate the boy, his mother, and the powerful and malevolent family to which they now belong, leads the aging couple out of North Dakota into Montana and ultimately into a maelstrom of violence from which there is no turning back.

The action moves toward a conclusion which is as inevitable as it is shocking, and the reader may not know whether to weep or rage. They will only know that they won’t soon forget it. ( )

Margaret Blackledge lost her son after he was tragically thrown from a horse. Now her grandson has been taken away by her former daughter-in-law and her new husband. She's seen the interaction between little Jimmy and his new stepfather many times and she could see that Donnie Weboy was cruel to Jimmy. Now Margaret has decided that she wants to raise the little boy herself. This places her and her husband George on a journey from North Dakota to Montana. With it comes the memories that brought them together and things that could have torn them apart. What they encounter in Montana is far more than they expected and much more trouble than they bargained for.

Literary Fiction isn't something I read often. But when I do, it has to be as wonderfully written as Larry Watson's Let Him Go. The story starts a little slow as the stage is set for what is to come, and gradually picks up the pace right up to the shocking end. This was a beautiful story of love, loss, and letting go. It was hauntingly suspenseful and will have you thinking about this book for days after you've finished reading it. ( )

It has all the elements of a Larry Watson book- Montana in the 50s, a tight-lipped law man, tragedy. Yet this may be his best book. He sets a great tone, uses the exact word, and has made remarkable chaacters. The action was rivoting and kept me reading chapter after chapter. ( )

“For God’s sake, you don’t get across the river standing on the bank wondering if you can do it. You get wet.”

Right from the get-go, Margaret jumps off the page as a grandmother not to be messed with, not even by her husband George. She is strong and she is determined. And I love the dialogue between her and George! And really, I just enjoyed this story! Love for a grandchild, love for a woman, and the time tested idea of "how far will you go?". And man-o-man, did I hate those Weboys!

“Lifelong? No, ma’am. Just all the life as I’ve lived so far.” ( )

This novel tells a good story. Margaret and George Blackledge's only son had died in an accident and they are estranged from their only daughter. They have a grandson whose mother has re-married and moved away. They miss their grandchild and have trouble letting him go....so, they travel to his new home to retrieve him, hoping to convince his mother to give up custody. As you might imagine, things don't go exactly as planned.

I liked the story and the writing style, but found the plot a bit forced. I would have preferred a more character-driven story. ( )