BLANCO

by Allen Wier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 1978

Wier's descriptive eye is sharp and hungry; there's pleasure in seeing it swivel and light upon the smallest phenomena. As a result, you come about three-quarters through this flat, precise novel before you realize there's really no story. Turk Marrs is a fiftyish bachelor living with his mother in a small central Texas hamlet, Blanco; not much happens to him beyond working part-time in the local Sinclair station, doing odd jobs at the cemetery, and spending an occasional weekend with a widow girlfriend in Austin. Then one morning Turk surprises three Mexicans who are robbing the gas station; he shotguns them to death, then kills himself. That's all, except for the parallel story of Turk's sister June, who marries a San Antonio realtor named Cage, becomes very bored, and likewise goes the do-yourself-in route. Wier's observant attention is impressive, but a story, even a tiny crease of complication or inter-relationship, would have been welcome. (To sample his talent more painlessly, see his short stories, below.)

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Louisiana State Univ. Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1978

Categories: FICTION