Elmer Kelton
Donovan (1961)
Author: Elmer Kelton
Genre: Western
Plot Summary:
The book’s title refers to Clabe Donovan, an infamous outlaw who was killed many years ago by a resident of Dry Fork, Texas. As the book begins, Clabe has just been spotted in group of cattle thieves, and the townspeople are understandably disturbed to discover that Donovan may actually be alive. Clabe begins sending threatening messages to the people who were involved in his capture and his supposed demise. When the person who killed Clabe is himself murdered, sheriff Webb Matlock and his posse go out looking for Clabe. Their search takes them to the volatile Mexican border, where one of their party is killed. Webb retreats but later returns with a smaller group that includes Ellie Donovan, Clabe’s wife and Webb’s fiancée. The group travels deep into Mexico and discovers that the real culprit is Clabe’s younger brother Morg, who hoped to carry on his late brother’s nefarious legacy. In the end, left with no choice but to kill or be killed, Webb shoots Morg to death.
Geographical Setting: Dry Fork, Texas (small town near the Mexican border)
Time Period: Second half of the 19th century (exact date not specified)
Appeal Characteristics:
Tough, ethical, traditional Western hero; balanced, well-paced, satisfying mixture of character development, action, dialogue, and setting description; old-fashioned story—in the best sense of the word—with a strong moral center; no graphic violence, no sex, and no foul language; clear-cut distinctions between good and evil; interesting parallel between Webb and his wild brother Sandy and the outlaw brothers Clabe and Morg; with its short length and relatively fast pace, the book does not require a huge time commitment, and readers should be able to zip through it in a few hours
Similar Authors: Will Henry; Louis L’Amour; Larry McMurtry; Wallace Earle Stegner
Red Flags: one suicide and a few instances of murder (but these are not graphically described)
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