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| Photo by Anne Sherwood |
The characters in
Crow Fair, Thomas McGuane’s newest short story collection, are mostly losers – people who are on their way down or already there. A fair number are old people sliding into death or dementia. Yet, all of these hapless folks are presented with a kind of tender empathy and affectionate humor. We recognize them (and perhaps ourselves in them) and, maybe, shake our heads a little ruefully but we aren’t given cause to sneer.
McGuane lives in Montana and the open plains and hills of that region, as well as its culture and history, are key to his stories. This geographic setting “…is the backdrop to funny, antic, and affecting stories of growing up, of romantic and family life, and of finding or failing to find
