If Larry McMurtry symbolically declared the death of the Old West with "All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers," he at least demonstrates that you can tell any tale as a Western with its sequel, "Some Can Whistle."Danny Deck, the drifter protagonist from "All My Friends..." is back - aging and listless in his giant Texas mansion. Since drowning his failed second novel in the Rio Grande, he's become a multi-millionaire television producer of the hugely popular sitcom "Al and Sal." Recently retired with nothing but money and time, he spends his days arguing with frenemy Godwin and middle-aged housekeeper Gladys. He's surprised by a phone call from his long-estranged daughter, T.R.With little consideration, Danny decides to come out of seclusion and track down his daughter. He finds her in Houston, a mother of two and the daughter of dope-dealing charlatans. T.R. mixes with an assortment of malcontents - criminals, fast food employees, honkytonk patrons. She's a mess of a 22-year-old, but she wants to know her dad - a feeling Danny shares but doesn't know how to approach. He decides to remove her from the meager setting and brings her and her corps - a pair of kids, her daughter's jail-sprung father and a few friends - back to his empty house.Danny goes about trying to get to know and understand his daughter, an often rocky, unsuccessful venture that often leads him to second-guess himself and his sanity. We realize Danny is, much like the cowboys of his small universe, a loner. He's convinced he'll stay that way unless he opens himself to his only relative.In "Some Can Whistle," we find that despite his attempts to be otherwise, Danny is still just a drifter - older and wiser, maybe. But now his success - rather than his lack of it in the past - forever makes him a person longing for something that's not there and, tragically, is never attainable.I liked this book but found its beginning to be farcical, maybe a little too cute. It belied its deeply emotional, meaty core - its story about a man who's stupefied by trying to connect with his daughter and, as before, women in general. In many an author's hands, it'd be a mess of a melodrama. But this is an observant, bold book that may not be completely successful on all fronts - but it certainly tackles more mature subject matter than its predecessor, and leaves a far more lasting impression.
McMurtry is obviously one of America's treasures. "Lonesome Dove" may be the most celebrated novel of our generation. That being said, this ("Some Can Whistle") is my favorite McMurtry novel...hands down.The dialogue rings in my head, sticks in my crawl. I am an interloper, an eavesdropper to the most intimate moments of this hilariously dysfunctional family.I was hooked in the first paragraph and was never released. The relational drama of the characters: daddy, lost daughter, hanger's on, and every mystical force that invades this family is so funny, so tragic, that they are all your friends by novel's end.It is unusual (for me anyway), to emotionally bind myself to the exploits of these pitiful, ne-er do wells, but I love them anyway. All of them.Little fanfare or critical acclaim accompanied the release of "Some Can Whistle", but if you like McMurtry, hell even if you don't, pick this one up from some used mail order giant for a couple of bucks and enjoy the ride. You'll be glad you did.
What do You think about Some Can Whistle (2002)?
Danny Deck's struggle for midlife happiness and acceptance from his long-estranged adult daughter could have made for a great sequel to "All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers", but McMurtry doesn't seem to give this story enough attention. He presents a setting in which Deck's material wealth seems infinite, and a scruffy ensemble cast that makes wacky scenes without altering the plot. Making Deck the most successful sit-com screenwriter of all time was a bold decision, but it seems both impl
—Graham
A sad and ultimately meaningless tale of a 50-some year old screenwriter who is unable to connect with people emotionally. His 22-year old duaghter, from whom he had been separated at birth, returns to his life. She has a life force that he cannot hope to match. But basically this is not a book about life, it is a book about death; the relationships that die, the people that die, and the man that for all practical matters, is already dead. Recommended if only you feel like going into therapy for a while. McMurtry, as always, writes very well.
—Jeff Dickison
As “All My Friends are Going to be Strangers,” the predecessor to “Some Can Whistle,” is punctuated by constant movement and restlessness, stagnation and resignation characterizes the second book in the series.Just like some people have the genes to roll their tongue and some don’t, some people have the ability and capacity to live life, and some don’t. Danny Deck doesn’t have it, his daughter, T.R., does. He can’t connect to anyone, and she seems to haphazardly connect to everyone, even if it leads her down many wrong paths.As a character, Danny Deck is still obtusely lovable. He stands in awe of working class, visceral women, such as a nurse Danny’s friend, Godwin, unsuccessfully hits on by suggesting a book. She declines the offer by explaining she doesn’t like to read because it leaves her with the feeling she’s missing out. Deck says he, too, feels that way and develops a budding affection for the nurse. He has many faults, however, one of which is his self-inflicted imprisonment. Several times he brings up the fact that his past loves have complained to him about his monotone indifference. But he just can’t change the fact that no matter where you go or who you’re with, turn around and there you are. He is who is, and that’s someone that doesn’t need to become a hermit to write a book about solitude. The book’s story, however, is essentially as empty as Deck’s Los Dolores house. T.R. is Deck’s heart-of-hearts woman of choice, low-class and unstable. But as a character, there’s not much to like about her, and if there had been more to her story, she’d likely prove to be unbearable and possibly become estranged from her father after finding some way to squeeze him dry. So many extra details, like Deck’s excruciating migraines, and characters, like members of T.R.’s posse, are added at whim that if this was supposed to be a father-daughter tale, it’s not apparent. Rather, this book serves as a closing chapter on Danny Deck and adds to the Thalia-and-its-hinterlands-world (even Duane Moore makes a cameo). Frankly, Danny deserved a better ending.
—Debbie Reschke Schug
