Just Finished Reading: Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (FP: 1912)

Jane Withersteen has a whole host of problems. She’s young, rich and unmarried. Left her farm and ranch by her father she uses her wealth and position to help those around her. But that’s another problem to add to an already long list. Because some of those people are not Mormons and that doesn’t sit well with her wannabe future husband in the Mormon Church. But there’s one more problem that could be her undoing. Because she knows where Milly Erne is buried and she knows who’s responsible for her untimely death. Everything comes to a head when the gunman Lassiter finally tracks her down after years of searching. Lassiter wants to know who is responsible for Milly’s abduction and death. The rage built inside of him over the years needs an outlet and Jane knows where the rage needs directing. Lassiter, who’s very name strikes terror into the Mormon community, is going nowhere until he discovers the truth. No matter what the cost.

This is the first book in a set of ten 20th century classics. It’s also my first even western novel which is a bit surprising knowing how much I love the genre on the big screen. For that I can certainly lay the blame squarely at the feet of my father who was a huge fan of the western. He certainly transferred his love of the movie version to me but, despite having numerous western novels at home, I’d never read one of the books – classic or otherwise, till now. With this one I can see the attraction. I can see who it set the pattern for the modern western form. I laughed out loud when the hero arrived (on page 8) identified by how he got off his horse. I’d seen something similar on countless movies and knew that someone important had just entered the narrative. It was actually quite fun picking out the iconic ideas, language and other attributes – metaphors and architypes – from the text that must have been fresh and exciting (if not shocking) at the time but have since become a form of storytelling short hand. The actual story surprised me in a few ways – mostly with its heavily negative view of the Mormons – but largely because the plot of the book was actually two connected love stories. This was, to me, completely unexpected. I was fully expecting a Clint Eastwood/John Wayne style narrative flow of a short setting piece, hero/anti-hero arrival, meet and greet of bad guys, some grumbling and gun play followed by the big shoot out and final resolution. Almost nothing like that happened at all. Instead we had a double love story between Jane and Lassiter and another between one of Jane’s hired hands and a girl he accidentally shot (not giving too much away). That’s all very well but wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in my first experience of a western. If I read any more in this genre (nothing planned presently) maybe I need to look somewhat further afield… Interesting from a cultural point of view but only recommended to die-hard cowboy lovers.