PositiveThe Dallas Morning News... a strong first novel ... What distinguishes the plot from a potboiler Western is the vivid portrayal of Joshua’s transformation ... possesses a charged emotional power. With a potent lyrical style, Sauer plumbs the depths of Joshua’s loneliness, his loathing toward his father and attempts to repress his sexual desires ... Sauer proves equally adept at limning Joshua’s surroundings — from the shattered grandfather clocks, broken stoves and tattered American flags left behind by shoals of westward-bound emigrants, to the majestic landscapes that the characters traverse. Several passages are so vibrant and moving that they send a tingle down a reader’s spine. Only rarely does the prose lapse into truism ... While Sauer’s description of the 19th-century Wild West is evocative and insightful, at times his characters seem to have a foot in a more modern world, resulting in surprising anachronisms ... Despite these slight reservations, it is clear from the novel that Sauer is an assured new literary voice from Texas. His careful control of narrative, and convincing sculpting of the central character in particular, make this reader look forward to his future efforts.
