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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/

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