Slow, yet supremely captivating; this tale of a young boy growing up in the back of his father's bar during the sixties is such a captivating portrait of Americana. Nestled deep in the mountains of the Montano medicine country is the Medicine Lodge ran by a bowtie wearing stickler named Tom Harry. His twelve year old son Rusty is about to have one of the most memorable summers of his life and at the heart of it is the bar and its many patrons. It's 1960 and the world is changing, the Top Spot Diner has new owners and they have brought with them their twelve year old daughter, Zoe. Despite their initial misgivings the two of them become fast friends and Rusty wastes no time showing her all the wonders of the back room in the bar. Together they listen to the wild tales of the bar goers and see Tom Harry in all his glory. Leisurely told without much plot, this tale is still enthralling - I loved all the characters and this town (especially the bar) seemed so real to me. Fantastic storytelling! ( )

Told through the eyes of Russell, a boy recently turned 12, we're drawn into the experiences he has that year. Being raised by his Dad, the owner/bartender of Medicine Lodge saloon in a small town in MT decades ago, Doig's storytelling style is similar to Richard Russo or Hemingway, lighthearted, heart rendering and joyful in all respects. Not having read his work previously, he's a master at his craft using words as a paintbrush, the pages canvas. This is one of those stories that's simply impossible NOT to like regardless of age, sex or ideology. It reminds us our humanity is what's important in life and that alone makes it unique. HIGHLY recommended. ( )

I don’t usually enjoy coming-of-age stories, but this one had me from the opening. The focus of the story is the summer of 1960, as the MC approaches his teens. He meets a girl and a quirky college grad, both of whom offer him a different view of the people he has grown up with in this small Montana town.

As the identity of his mother becomes of more interest to him, and his father continues to resist telling him about her, a woman from his father’s past shows up. She is flashy, alluring, and a little vulgar. She also brings a young adult daughter she claims was sired by the boy’s bartender father.

The recounting of that summer, told from the narrator’s perspective 50 years later, is filled with colorful characters from all walks of life. As events unfold for him, he consults with his friend and newcomer to town Zoe about everything they encounter. Some of it, they figure out; some of it remains as mysterious as only adults can be.

A final, cataclysmic event shakes loose all the intrigues and secrets in his world even as it threatens a way of life he loves. A wonderful story - funny, serious, heart-warming and heart-wrenching.

I will be looking for more by Ivan Doig. ( )

How I will miss reading this Ivan Doig every night!.

Tom Harry, Rusty (his narrator son), Delano, and of course, the irrepressible Zoe
may have readers wishing to turn back the two ending pages for a sequel full of more surprises. ( )

Jon Kolko rec