A GRAVESTONE MADE OF WHEAT

by Will Weaver ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1988

Weaver returns to his native Minnesota in many of these 12 stories, most of which explore themes familiar from his novel, Red Earth, White Earth (1986): the clash of cultures among the prairie people, the difficulties of returning to the family farm after moving elsewhere, and the strength derived from faith and community. In language as flat as the plains, Weaver (in the title story) celebrates the solid values of a Norwegian patriarch who defies a new Minnesota law prohibiting him from burying his wife on their land. Outsiders baffle ordinary rural people in ""The Trapper,"" in which an animal-lover from the city repeatedly interferes with an old trapper's livelihood; and in ""Blood Pressure,"" in which a tiny farm community replaces their recently deceased doctor with a rather kinky couple from the East. Religious faith competes with belief in the land in ""Gabriel's Feather's,"" the straightforward tale of a ten-year-old boy torn between his Bible-toting mother and his hard-working skeptical father. Respect for one's elders, and a sense of generation, underpin ""Heart of the Fields"" and ""From the Landing,"" two linked narratives about a proud old grandfather and his reluctance to admit his infirmities. ""Dispersal"" bleakly attests to the decline of the small farm as men converge on a bank sale ""like crows on road kill."" A young couple returns to unemployment in Minnesota (""Going Home"") rather than continue hopeless in California. Similarly, a married city-dweller returns to the family dairy farm after his father's death, and destroys his marriage as a consequence (""The Cowman""). And a farm-boy at the University of Minnesota dreads vacations at home, where he'll have to admit his desire to study English rather than agriculture (""The Undeclared Major""). The strongest piece, ""You Are What You Drive,"" follows the fate of a Buick LeSabre as it changes hands among residents of a small Minnesota town. A fine collection of rural stories--belonging on a shelf alongside the work of Hamlin Garland and Wendell Berry.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION