The Quick and the Dead

This is a short, meditative novel written in the first person, recollecting events in the narrator's childhood. The instigating crisis of the story is the revelation, when he is six, that he is the offspring of an adulterous affair. His biological father has just gone off to war and plays no direct part in the story. The main characters are his legal father, Robert, a man of generous spirit, his mother, relatives, and two contrasting preachers, one authentic, the other a monster of self-righteousness who meets with a grisly end. Written with meticulous skill, as is typical of this author, this is a beautiful story that everyone will enjoy.