52 pages • 1 hour read
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At Uncle Frank’s funeral, David notices the split in the family with Frank’s wife Gloria and his grandparents on one side of the grave while he and his parents stand on the other.
The whole family agrees not to reveal Frank’s crimes but, instead, to say that he died in an accident, falling off a ladder in the basement. Frank is eulogized as a war hero and a solid citizen.
David’s mother grows increasingly uncomfortable with living a lie, and she asks her husband to leave the town and start over elsewhere. David’s father agrees, and they move to Fargo, North Dakota, near Mrs. Hayden’s parents. David’s father joins a local law firm and becomes a partner.
Meanwhile, Len has been elected sheriff but is unable to serve out his term because of a disabling stroke. David’s grandfather also has a stroke, and he does not survive. David wonders if the strain of keeping secrets contributed to the two men’s brains breaking down. He also notes that his father’s bitterness may well have contributed to the cancer that eventually killed him.
David becomes a history teacher in Minnesota. But he is a skeptic about what history books call the truth. He knows that many important events can and will be kept secret, as was the case in his own family history.
The book ends with David’s wife commenting to her in-laws about the family history: “David told me about what happened when you lived in Montana. That sure was the Wild West, wasn’t it?”
David’s father responds loudly: “Don’t blame Montana. Don’t ever blame Montana!” (Epilogue p.169).
The Epilogue covers the fallout from Uncle Frank’s suicide. It describes how the family agreed to lie about Frank’s death saying that he died accidentally, by falling off a ladder in the basement. This decision effectively covers over Frank’s crimes and undoes Wesley’s decision to bring his brother to justice.
Not surprisingly, Frank’s wife Gloria and David’s grandparents blame Sheriff Hayden for his death. This is symbolized when the two sides of the family stand on opposite sides of Frank’s grave at the burial.
Soon the tension and stress become too much for David’s mother and the family move to Fargo in North Dakota. . David’s father becomes a successful lawyer in their new town. This raises the questions of whether David’s mother was right all along; was her husband was wrong to go back to Montana after law school and spend his life under his father’s influence
David’s father has had to learn several lessons the hard way. Racism, even in its mildest form, leads to negative and often tragic outcomes. Family loyalty must give way to the law, which, in most cases, is designed to the whole community, rather than just some powerful individuals.
The story is written as a coming-of-age narrative, chronicling David’s loss of innocence. He has observed the impact of sexual assault and murder and seen power at work in a community that hides secrets. David is certainly changed by the events he recounts and his decision to become a history teacher suggests that he continues to be interested in the ways that the past continues to affect the present and the way in which certain events get left out of the official story of the past. His skepticism about the truthfulness of history reflects the lessons he learned in the aftermath of his Uncle’s death when the Haydens conspired to cover up Frank’s crimes. In doing so they also covered up the fact that racism was still prevalent in their community and silenced the Native women that Frank abused and, in Marie’s case, killed.