English Creek

Wry, perceptive, timeless, invested with feeling and humor. Set over the course of a Great Depression summer in a Montana forest-ranging and sheep-ranching family, this is part coming-of-age story, part family history, and part praise song for the western landscape. Ivan Doig's dialogue and descriptive writing is incredible, and the main character Jick's narration is peppered with clever, funny turns of phrase. No surprise, grandmother knows best.