Haruf's humble characters resonate with authenticity. Haruf's characters are so real, so genuine and alive that the reader can't help but develop an empathy for them that is rare in fiction today. This is a spare, harsh novel about "the tie that binds" - which in this book is family. But in this case, the tie does not just bind, but almost strangles Edith, the central character. She is tied by obligation and a sort of love that defines her life. Haruf never allow her to put her desires or needs above those of her father and brother.The characters are incredibly well-drawn and so very real. Although I was able to feel the despair of Edith's life, I never felt sorry for her, mainly because Haruf never had her express or show any self-pity. She just did what had to be done, day after day, year after year. Haruf certainly has a gift for causing the reader to have intense feelings about those who populate his books and for evoking the starkness of the Colorado plains. I read the following review on another venue and loved it -- I felt very much this way while reading this book and had to copy it:"…..The environment Haruf created is philosophically a deterministic naturalistic setting from whose grasp, the characters and the reader cannot escape. We are all 'stuck!' Never mind that the details of life in rural America are so graphic at times that I was repulsed as I read of it; never mind that the narrator, Sandy, is a pessimistic observer, and he is the one from whom I was handed the lurid, sickening details. And never mind that Haruf plopped my busy behind in a chair across the table from Sandy, behind a cup of coffee, and that Sandy made direct address to me throughout the accounting of the story within a story. Edith, the old woman around whom the story evolves remained suspended with an IV in the back of her hand, in the hospital, (the story)while Sandy and I drank coffee and he told me the truth (the story within). Because despite Sandy's negative views, despite his railing against 'outrageous fortune' and his fellow man, I came to know him as a good and loving man, fallible, human (sometimes weak), and vulnerable. From his view, the story unfolded, the characters became round and full, and their lives endured; thus, I, the reader, suffered the tragedies and, as Haruf dunked my head in the stench of it until my 'self' that demanded justice above all other values, could hardly breathe. All my senses were engaged, saturated until I could see, smell, taste, feel, and touch the unyielding, undeserved pain of the lives of the characters with my sensibility and sympathy, but I seldom 'enjoyed' the experience though I could not '...put the book down.' I knew the characters and the setting intimately. I came to love their world and to love them, especially to understand them, often to admire them. And so, I suffered heartbreak on their behalf."Haruf is an amazing author.
Wow did this book take me on a road trip into the tiny town of Hoyt Colorado tucked into the miles of rolling plains of wheat fields for miles and miles. Just almost like the tiny town I grew up in on the eastern plains of Colorado in a real town called Strasburg Colorado. How can things stay the same for so long and then one day change in an instant? Those tiny little moments you get throughout your whole life while wating for something to happen?Put all those tiny moments that last no longer than a second or a few minuites and put them in a book and take a trip that you will never forget on the eastern plains of Colorado and you realize a few moments here and there define your whole life...While wating for those tiny moments and thinking you have not lived or done enough a moment comes along or a book and blows your mind all to hell.
What do You think about The Tie That Binds (2000)?
The Tie That Binds is the rather unforgettable tale of Edith Goodnough born in 1897 in Holt County, Colorado. A woman who has slaved on her Dad’s farm for her entire life. From the outside, Edith’s life is pretty forgettable and insignificant in itself, weren't it for the neighbors’ young boy, and afterward grown man, who tells her story. And it’s the story-telling that makes this book so worth it. As a reader you get to hear the authentic account of Sanders Roscoe, who in his simple words brings light and depth to the Goodnoughs’ lives, beginning with what Sanders knew from his own Dad, John Roscoe, who knew all the Goodnoughs from the time they settle in Holt County to farm. It’s not that Edith did extraordinary things, but the story-teller grasps every fiber of humanity and hardship in his unvarnished recounting. Life on a farm - in the early decades of last century - was indeed very austere and grueling, still Edith never complained. She took care of her dying mother, her tyrannic father and her brother Lyman. She had such a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards her family and land, right till the ripe age of 80, she would do the right thing for them.The simple tales like this one are the ones that make the most impact, and, for sure, after Plainsong, Kent Haruf is a master in telling them.
—Marleen
Cheryl wrote: "Josh wrote: "Well said for Haruf's style. I've read 2 books of his so far and plan on reading them all. Good stuff."Same here. I read Plainsong and am looking forward to continuing..."me as well. I think 'Plainsong' is supposed to be the best of the three, but I admire his ability to tell a simple story and keep people entertained.
—Cheryl
4 stars. I love the way Kent writes and enjoyed reading until about the half way point when It became clear that the lives and tale being played out were only going to worsen and the ongoing depressing storyline became tedious to experience. Eventually, I pretty much wanted to wrap up the actual book the way it ended. Four stars is supposed to mean 'really liked it' but I didn't. Yet I cannot give it less. He was a wonderful writer. His descriptions of the unrelenting hardness of farming made me see why my mother and aunt left the one they grew up on as soon as they turned 18. His description of what it's really like milking cows 24/7 put me right there in the barn. My romantic idea of living on a farm is forever laid to rest.
—☯Cathrine
