On Sarpy Creek

I read this book to participate in "One Book Town." My discussion group is set for June 11th at the library.

On Sarpy Creek was written by Ira Stephens Nelson in 1938; it was the only book he wrote. It was re-printed in 2003.

The book details the ordinary lives of a community of ranchers on Sarpy Creek from the mid-1920's to the mid-1930's, when the drought pushed out all but the most hardy settlers. The story opens with a birth in a wagon, and continues through a brutal murder; adultery and redemption; anger and joy. At the center of the story are Case and Sareeny Gyler, a young couple who come back to Sarpy Creek to make a life near Sareeny's family, the Gores. Their lives and the lives of their neighbors are intertwined in a way familiar to anyone from a small community.

I can't but help compare the book to Ivan Doig's "This House of Sky" series about the valley south of White Sulphur Springs. The writing styles are different; Doig is far more sophisticated. But the storytelling is accomplished, and Nelson's simpler approach does not make his book any less readable. The characters are well-developed and real, and the situations played are believable.