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Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf I haven't read "Plainsong" by Haruf, but plan to as I want to compare it with this novel. My understanding is that they are both set in small-town farming communities in Colorado where everybody and knows everybody, secrets are hard to hide, and transgressions are neither forgotten nor forgiven. In "Where You Once Belonged" the story opens as Jack Burdette, a former high school football star and resident bad boy returns to his hometown, after eight years on the run, having fleeced the townfolk, jilted a long-suffering girlfriend, and abandoning his wife and two small sons--conveniently long enough that the statute of limitations prevents the local sheriff from pressing charges. The story is narrated in a spare style by the editor of the town's weekly newspaper, who grew up with Jack, and as the story develops we find that their lives are deeply entwined. The description of the town and its inhabitants rang true for me, but the shocking ending, related in such a dispassionate tone, will bother and anger many, as it bothered and angered me. Enjoy! Adam Adam Janowski Library Media Specialist Naples High School 1100 Golden Eagle Circle Naples, FL 34102 E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us Phone: 239-430-6644 Ext. 390 Fax: 239-430-6673 Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/ School web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=- All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. LM_NET Help & Information: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ Archive: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml LM_NET Select/EL-Announce: http://www.cuenet.com/archive/el-announce/ LM_NET Supporters: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ven.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-