I’ll say this upfront. I’m not a fan of books about guys being rough and tough because they come from the salt of America. Most of the books are filled with characters that come across like they just rode in from a Hollywood lot and not actually the place the author tries to place them in or if they did, they wouldn’t be as interesting as the writer makes them out to be. So I had a bit of trepidation when I got the review copy of Smith Henderson’s (even the name author’s name sounds tough) Fourth of July Creek.
Fourth of July Creek is the debut novel by Mr. Henderson and he certainly knows how to tell a story. The novel takes place during the Reagan years and revolves around Pete Snow, an agent of Child Protective Services. He is responsible for the welfare of children but is having a hard time trying to get his own daughter to like him.
The trouble starts when a boy Benjamin Pearl is found to be in dire straits due to his father’s abuse. It’s not pretty and the issue of anti-government and sects is brought up. This tactic could come across as trite but Mr. Henderson handles it delicately and takes the reader into the mind of these people and what they find important. Does your child come before you work if your work is anti-government and end of times? Are their lives just collateral damage?
Throughout the novel is another story told in an interview format about Pete’s daughter named Rachael. It’s a question and answer session on the whereabouts about of Rachael and her life. There are also lots of sides stories about relationships, government agencies not working well together, life in a small town and all its uniqueness but by the end of the story what happens is just real life. No bows tied just the messiness of it all.
So in a way, maybe Mr. Henderson is telling us that we are all tough guys trying to get through this thing called life and some just do it better than others. This city boy considers himself a pretty tough guy who has put up with a lot from life. Does my environment make me tougher or is just that survival instinct that keeps me going. Are we are just a nation of tough guys trying to get others to understand us? Maybe we are just a bunch of children of the earth that need to be protected from each other. Fourth of July Creek is a book that deserves to be talked about this summer so I guess lighting did strike twice!
