50BC06 #4: Plainsong (Haruf)

50 Book Challenge #4 BOOK REVIEW: Plainsong by Kent Haruf Mr. Haruf is an extraordinary storyteller as he interweaves the threads of the average into a plain, yet beautiful reality. Plainsong is quintessential Americana without the sense of false rhetoric that encumbers so many novels in this genre. The novel’s multiple protagonists are painfully honest characters who embody life truths and complexities without melodrama. The interaction of the novels characters testify to a greater sense of connectedness with those around us, no matter where we may live. Haruf lays bare many graphic details without sensationalism in order to produce one of modern fiction’s most sincere depictions of everyday life. Readers who enjoyed Richard Russo’s Empire Falls will likely enjoy this novel about community and everyday heroism. Posted here 9/8/08, originally posted 2/6/06.