An unexpected pleasure.
West by Carys Davies attracted me by its cover. This slim first novel is the story of a man obsessed with a fools journey. Not a tale I would gravitate to, but when the writing is this good it's a pleasure to read.
"Not a word wasted; the canvas is as wide as her brush is fine" - The Guardian.
Bellman is a large red-headed Scot running a mule breeding farm in Pennsylvania, around 1818. Reading about the Lewis and Clark expedition through St. Louis and up the Missouri River, he becomes obsessed with descriptions of the bones of giants beasts stuck in the Kentucky mud, tusks the height of a man. Leaving his 10 year-old daughter with his sister Julia, he heads off on a horse without a map to follow their trail, a two thousand mile journey. It may take years, he may never return. Along the way he survives river rapids, starvation through winter, and meets other travellers who think him a fool. Meanwhile, Bess pines for her dad and watches as a neighbour is attracted first to Julia and then to young Bess. Bellman meets up with a young Indian named Old Woman From A Distance, although they cannot speak each other's language, they ride and hunt together. The area west of the Mississippi is unknown, barren and desolate territory, and they continue into it blindly for over two years, hoping they can find a return trail.
When Old Woman arrives back where he first met Bellman he stands out for wearing Bellman's stovetop hat and clothes, riding his horse, and he tells a fur trader exactly what happened on the journey.
This tale is sparse and hazardous, wandering into the unknown unprepared. Davies skillfully balances Bellman's story with that of his family back home, surviving in their own way as best they can. The stories do intersect in a natural way, giving a satisfying ending. The kind of book to give time, and to read again.
Unexpected and recommended.
2018 / Hardcover / 153 pages
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