Simple and True

This is a spellbinding work. There are times when I found myself closing the book so I could take a break, afraid to read it all at once. It's that good. The writing is spare and fluid, eloquent even. I never thought I'd say this about a novel and mean it sincerely but it's a "sweet story."

The story is set in a small Colorado town and follows several characters. Some are dealing with loneliness, with unwanted pregnancy, with problems at school. Though the problems don't seem enormous, they become such a part of the reader that it's hard not to root for everyone. It reminds us that big lives happen even in small towns. It also shows how a good writer can weave an amazing story about seemingly minor conflicts.

Each chapter focuses on one of the town's characters, and as the novel progresses the characters become linked until the most unlikely people end up sharing lives.

I read somewhere that the author Kent Haruf, wrote this on his typewriter with his eyes closed. He found that it came more naturally to him. You can tell, it's so fluid that you don't even realize how perfect the language is after awhile, you're so caught up in the story, in the characters' lives.
Wonderful read.