Haruf's novels are set in Holt, a small town in Holt County, Colorado. Each one - The Ties That Bind, Where You Once Belonged, Plainsong and Eventide - is a small jewel. They explore in effortless prose the lives of the inhabitants if Holt. Sometimes the characters overlap from novel to novel, sometimes they don't, but the background of Holt remains constant.
He writes with precision and detachment. He might keep his distance as a writer but these books aren't cold. You always know where you are. The country, the houses, the bars might be sparely described but always with one or two images that feed your imagination and tell you all you need to know. You understand and empathise with what the characters are going through, what they're feeling, often by what they don't say or do. His people are flawed, see themselves as failures, don't understand why others find them deserving respect, affection, and love. And he writes killer opening sentences -
'They came up from the horse barn in the slanted light of early morning' Eventide.
'Here was this man Tom Guthrie in Holt standing at the back window in the kitchen of his house smoking cigarettes and looking out over the back lot where the sun was just coming up.' Plainsong.
Like many artists and writers who know the benefits of restricting themselves to a limited palate Haruf pushes through those limitations to take us deep into the human experience. These books aren't cosy. Don't be put off by the quote from the Mail on Sunday that describes them as a rural soap opera written by a poet they are much more. With wit, humour, brilliant dialogue, and wonderful prose he shows us what we are and makes us wish for what we might be.
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