The Trackers By Charles Frazier (Review by Stacie Kitchen)
Rating: 3/5
I really enjoy historical fiction in general, but even more when it is about a time period that is often overlooked in favor of more covered periods (looking at you WWII fiction). The Trackers is a work based in Depression-era America and spans a good portion of America during the book including featuring people from an array of classes. My favorite part is that it features a New Deal painter, hired to complete an artwork for a small-town post office. As a teacher of the Depression-era, I enjoyed hearing the artist’s point of view on their commissions and jobs during this period.
The painter, Val, heads to Wyoming for his commission, and gets put up with a room on Long Shot Ranch, home of a wealthy owner and art lover, John Long. John and his wife, Eve, live on the ranch, and welcome Val into Wyoming culture. As John begins his run for Senate, Eve goes missing. As a trusted friend, Val is sent by John to find Eve and a missing Renoir that she has taken with her. Finding Eve takes Val throughout the United States, and he gets to experience how this period is affecting many different cities and individuals.
I know that there are many reasons that authors chose not to use quotation marks. However, it is a major pet peeve of mine because it slows down the book. The dialogue becomes passive instead of active as if you are reading everything in the past tense. Not a fan of this choice by Frazier, but I do know some people really enjoy this style of writing. I did enjoy that this was a mystery within an historical fiction novel. Val’s journey to find Eve was very thrilling and will keep a reader on their toes! Definitely a solid choice for fans of Depression-era stories.
GBC Reader Reviews
2 Comments
I was a bit disappointed by this book. The depression era setting was interesting, but the character development not so much. I also found the lack of quotation marks confusing and with no upside.
I concur on others who have commented that they find the absence of commas vexing. It detracts from the book’s readability at times and is a jarring departure from the norm that has no justification with which I am familiar. The book is readable and most of the historical underpinning solid, but in my view it ranks several steps down from works by Frazier set in his highland homeland in the Appalachians.