THE TRACKERS by Charles Frazier

This review originally appeared in the Historical Novel Society

Directionless young artist Val finds deliverance from the ravages of the Great Depression in an assignment to paint a New Deal mural in a remote Wyoming post office building. He is lodged by John Long, a wealthy, politically ambitious rancher and his beautiful younger wife, Eve. Long’s sage ranch hand, who has an Old West gunfighter’s reputation, casts a heavy shadow over the three. Suspense builds when Eve vanishes with one of Long’s valuable paintings, presumably to return to the Depression-era hobo lifestyle she lived before marrying Long. Long enlists Val to track down Eve, and an odyssey search ensues, ranging from coast to coast.

Val’s first-person impressions construct a flowing narrative that moves effortlessly from scene to scene, conveying vivid and memorable images of the mountains, prairie, Pacific Ocean, Florida swamplands and Hoovervilles. Characters’ activities like the craft of painting, mural creation and art appreciation, as well as the workings of a large cattle ranch, are grounded in convincing period detail. Dialogue is devoid of speech marks, which seems to promote an evenness in the prose, rather than emotional highs and lows. Depression-era times are tough, and social commentary is sometimes unsparing, against the “old reptilian Supreme Court justices” and other elites responsible for “the brutal, ugly undertow of reality” that thwarts millions of downtrodden who dream of a better life. Perhaps the story’s most compelling character is Eve, who has enjoyed the freedom of the road to live as she wished and express her songbird talents, as well as the comforts of a kept woman who plays a supporting role to her rich and driven husband. Bestselling author Charles Frazier’s fifth historical novel brings a welcome addition to Depression-era literature.