While camping in Montana, my husband and I happened to stop in the town of Seeley Lake at a small general store with a big book selection. I couldn’t resist This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind by Montana native Ivan Doig (1939 – 2015). Reading this excellent memoir was the perfect book, both for enjoying the story itself and for being surrounded by the rugged Montana landscape which Doig so aptly describes.
Ivan’s mother died of her life-long struggle with asthma, leaving his father to care for his six-year-old son while working in various jobs as a top hand on cattle ranches, or herding sheep in hilly, harsh country. After a while Ivan’s maternal grandmother came to live with them and help take care of the little boy. Although the two–father and grandmother–were often at odds, together they pooled their resources to eke out a living. They often lived in cramped, rough housing under difficult circumstances including harsh weather and grueling terrain, all while trying to tolerate one another. They did it for Ivan, to make a home for him.
I love Doig’s droll humor. His admiration for his father and grandmother shines through as they struggle for survival. Even through the tough times and sometimes harsh words, their sense of family is evident. The author’s lyrical language as he describes their hard-scrabble life kept me enthralled. I’ve read other works by this fine author and he continues to be a writer I hold in high esteem.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for the review, Mary!
You’d love this book, Carmen. What a writer!
I love that dry, cowboy humor. I will have to pick up a copy.
I love that kind of humor, too, Kimberly. His approach is so honest–it’s refreshing.
I LOVE his books. Haven’t read them all, have to make this one next.
Irene, did you know he spent a few years in Seattle? He is/was amaazing.
Yes, and I think at one time he came to a Pacific Northwest Writers conference there. I attended that conference for 10 years.
Oh, lucky you! I would have loved to meet him. I went to a couple of PNWA conferences–I was a member for many years. I decided I preferred WWW conferences though.
Doig is one of my favorite authors and I have this book waiting to be read on my kindle. Thanks for this preview, Mary.
He’s one of my favorites too, Andrea. I was surprised to learn he also had lived in Seattle.