The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson

Published by Algonquin Books on July 21, 2020

The Lives of Edie Pritchard follows a woman through three segments of her life, focusing on the choices she makes as she transitions (or doesn’t) to what might be considered a “new life.” But we only get one life. The novel’s point, I think, is that our life is defined by the choices we make. Sometimes those choices don’t seem like a choice at all, particularly when we decide that not to make a change is the most responsible choice, even if we might prefer a different life to the one we're living.

Edie Pritchard begins the novel in Gladstone, Montana. She dates and eventually marries Dean Linderman, a dull but decent fellow who has a more exciting and less decent brother named Roy. There was a time when Edie came close to letting Roy have his way with her. Roy doesn’t handle rejection well, so he continues to pursue Edie even after she marries his brother. Dean doesn’t handle his insecurity well, even though Edie gives him no reason to be jealous.

For reasons that are at least partially Roy’s fault, he crashes his car and is rescued by Edie. The circumstances are innocent but Dean can’t rid himself of his suspicion that there is more to the story. Some of the drama in the first section surrounds Dean’s belief that Roy should get justice of some sort from the people who, in Dean’s view, are responsible for Roy’s accident. Edie views this as men being men and, even though she’s still young, she’s pretty sick of men being men. The first section ends with Edie Linderman making a choice about whether she wants to stay with Dean or leave Gladstone.

In the second segment, Edie is middle-aged and living in Granite Valley, Montana. She’s married to Gary Dunn, with whom she has a daughter named Jennifer. Gary, like Dean, has a problem with unwarranted jealousy, as if it is Edie’s fault that men are attracted to her. When Roy calls to tell her that Dean is dying of cancer and wants to say goodbye, Gary’s reaction is inappropriate. He’s never been able to accept the fact of Edie’s earlier marriage. At some point, Edie finds herself back in Gladstone, this time with Jennifer. When Gary arrives uninvited, it seems a confrontation between Roy, Dean, Gary, and another guy might ensue. All of this “men being men” is again too much for Edie. The second section ends with Edie Dunn making a choice about whether she wants to stay with Gary or leave Granite Valley.

In the third segment, Edie is in her sixties, living contentedly alone in Gladstone, free from the drama that men insist on causing. The drama reappears when her granddaughter visits, bringing with her a boyfriend and her boyfriend’s brother, who is clearly going to cause trouble. The segment reunites Edie with Roy, who helps her rescue the granddaughter from “men being men,” although whether the effort is worthwhile is debatable. Whether Edie and Roy will get together on Edie's terms is an underlying question. The answer is one of the story’s many surprises.

A good bit more occurs during the course of the story but the plot sketch above provides some sense of what the novel is about. Each section generates dramatic tension that centers largely on whether men will harm Edie because of their desire or jealousy or bad judgment or inability to exercise self-control. Despite its subject matter, The Lives of Edie Pritchard avoids becoming a soap opera by its close examination of how Edie’s life is dictated both by choices she makes and by choices she feels forced to make. The novel seems to suggest that no matter how much we try to distance ourselves from trouble, it is always waiting around the next bend.

Roy changes quite a bit during the course of the novel, perhaps not fundamentally but behaviorally. Edie has always known who she is and stays true to herself. Her changes are those that come with age and the acquisition of experience and wisdom. By the last segment, Edie has demonstrated remarkable resilience and proves that she doesn't need a man to protect or guide her.

Larry Watson’s writing is, as always, a combination of power and grace. He manages to infuse elements of a thriller in what is essentially a domestic drama — or in this case, three domestic dramas that add up to a life.

The theme of “maleness” as something with which women must cope is explored without bashing men, although I suspect most men will see something of their instinctive selves in some of the characters. Recognizing those instincts is the key to banishing them and becoming a man who is more respectful toward women. For that reason, I suspect The Lives of Edie Pritchard is a novel that will appeal equally to readers of both sexes. Any reader is likely to become caught up in the peaks and valleys of the plot and to either identify with a character or to recognize a character in someone we know well.

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As Good as Gone by Larry Watson

Published by Algonquin Books on June 21, 2016

It’s 1963, but Calvin Sidey seems to be living in the 19th century. His trailer lacks electricity, refrigeration, or indoor plumbing. He rarely sees his son but, without understanding why, agrees to Bill’s request to spend a week taking care of his grandchildren while Bill’s wife is having an operation. Bill later wonders whether his father agreed to help him or whether he is helping his father.

Calvin abandoned his children after his wife died. The circumstances under which he left town are the subject of dark rumors. When Calvin moves back into his house (where Bill now lives with his family), the tension between family members is palpable. What Bill and his wife don’t know is that their daughter Amy is living in fear and that their son Will hates his friends and wants to run away.

After that setup, I thought I knew the direction the plot would take. I was wrong. As Good as Gone is not predictable or formulaic. It builds tension and suspense like a thriller, but this isn’t a novel about heroes battling villains. Nobody in this book is a hero. Nobody is a true villain. Most of the key characters, like most people, blend their virtues and vices into a complex mix that defines them only as human.

The major characters in As Good as Gone are made real by the turmoil of daily existence that occupies their minds. Calvin struggles with emotions that he can’t express and probably can’t understand. He’s in the late years of his life and it isn’t clear that he will ever really understand or tolerate himself, much less another person. The elements of a love story develop but again, it’s realistic, not the idyllic dizzying love envisioned in romance novels. Whether love will endure or be reciprocated, whether it even makes sense, are among the true life questions that certain characters must face.

As is true in real life, most of the threats and acts of violence in As Good as Gone (and there are quite a few of them) are fueled by misunderstandings. Calvin may not have been a good father, but he has the sense that he should stand up for his family. He’s a tough guy, a cowboy who spent his life working as a ranch hand as a means of avoiding responsibility. Unfortunately, he’s impulsive and a bit hotheaded. He doesn’t know what’s going on in his family and some of his assumptions are disastrously wrong. That dynamic gives rise to drama that resolves in unexpected ways as the story reaches its climax.

With its high-quality prose and depth of characterization, As Good as Gone could probably be classified as a work of literary fiction that borrows the form of a thriller, but classifications don’t matter when a book is good. This one is.

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