True Grit: A novel for all readers

Charles Portis's 1968 novel, True Grit, keeps up the tension, interest, and narrative voice right to the end, a novel that should appeal to all readers. Maybe not the most profound novel ever written - it's essentially a good Western yarn about bounty hunters in pursuit of an assassin, narrated by a 14-year-old girl who set the posse into action in a desire to revenge the shooting death of her father - but few novels give as good a sense of place, contain such vivid characters, bring the characters into conflict with one another, and maintain a brisk narration. Novelist Donna Tartt wrote the afterword in the Overlook Press edition, which revived this novel after abut 20 years out of print, and she, too, notes that this novel would appeal and has appealed to a wide range of readers, citing her own family as an example. She's particularly apt on Mattie Ross's narration, noting that Mattie is always dead serious and is never comic or intentionally witty - and that's part of the comic appeal of her voice: She stands up to men much older and tougher than she is, but she drives a terrific bargain and takes no gruff. She's also serious and devout - narrating her story from 40-year perspective, she cites scripture several times; she's terribly afraid when appropriate - particularly in the gruesome conclusion, which I won't divulge - but outwardly maintains her cool and never loses her bearings. Her counterpart, Rooster, the guy she hires to avenge the death of her father, is also a powerful character, quite different from Mattie: brave but deeply flawed, a problem drinker, but a man with a moral compass (Tartt reminded me of his treatment of two boys who were tormenting an animal), and of course he rises to the occasion at the end, saving Mattie's life. Again, I won't divulge the conclusion, but his fate is surprising and a bit mysterious.