"Shane"

I'm not sure why, but ever since I read Lonesome Dove I've been wanting to read another western. Of course I picked up the other books in the series. But they are very long and I have been needing to read shorter books of late. So recently I picked up Shane by Jack Schaefer. It is a quick read that keeps you turning the page. Told in the viewpoint of the boy Bob (who is named Joey in the movie!!) the book takes you into the lives of a homesteading family. The importance and influence the man Shane has on this young kid is profound. It is this emotion along with the need to know more about who 'Shane' is that has you feeling sad in the end. I of course believe he rides off into the sunset to conquer more bad men. Schaefer just leaves you hanging. This book doesn't have a lot of dialogue and there is only a hint of a romance between the wife and Shane. but the simplicity of the story and the crisp descriptions of the settings is what makes the book great.