“Deep Down Things,” by Tamara Linse tells the year-long story of a brother, Tibs and his two sisters, CJ and Maggie and Maggie’s husband, Jackdaw. Set in the cowboy country of Wyoming it’s an often moving, realistic portrayal of four young people coming of age.

It is written in first person, rotating the point of view among the four characters. It’s not my favorite approach and at first for me it was kind of like being dropped into a party where you don’t know anyone and they all introduce themselves, but five minutes later you’re trying to remember, “Okay which is the older sister? Who exactly is Jackdaw?”

But that confusion (which perhaps just reflects my own sloppy reading skills) passes. The chapters are short and the action moves briskly. Soon I was caught up in the story and I welcomed learning firsthand such things as what CJ thought of Maggie’s new boyfriend Jackdaw (“asshole”).

One of the really excellent aspects of this novel is that all the characters do “stuff.” There is a lot of rumination, but it is done in the context of activity: fishing, teaching a high school class about “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” bartending, how do properly insert a catheter. I used to think if I were a younger man it might be fun to try bull riding once (like that character in the Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You were Dying”). But I think I will settle for the excitement of reading the first person account of Jackdaw. Really vivid, scary, painful experience.

The primary thrust of the novel revolves around Maggie’s unexpected pregnancy and marriage to Jackdaw. In the second part of the novel the story of Maggie’s care for their child, Wes, who is born with spina bifida, takes center stage. It is a compelling, heartfelt, heartbreaking, heartwarming account. We see Maggie grow from a clueless teenager to a woman who cares for her child with everything she has. She loves Wes and she makes us love him too.

An excellent story.


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