There is a well-drawn and motivated murder that in my mind takes a backseat to the wonderful prose. The painter in the book is also a fly fisherman and there are some terrific descriptions of New Mexico. The story is about a painter (picture kind) and Heller uses wonderful words to describe the paintings. It is far better than the author’s The River, or Dog Star and I loved both of those books. (Geeze, I sound like I had some kind of weird romance with this one). I fell far behind in my reading challenge because I did not want to rush this book. These books are a seven-course meal to be savored, meat and potatoes to the chocolate and popcorn. But in between, and to cleanse my reading palette, I like something with substance, a book that cannot be rushed and has to be read word for word. I usually read and enjoy books that are like chocolate and popcorn, fast easy reads that are entertaining and have strong Fictive Dreams. I put this book on the same level as All the Pretty Horses, I Lay Down My Sword and Shield and To the Bright and Shining Sun. This book is going up on my “Favorites,” shelf. The author uses a crime novel as a vehicle to display beautiful and lyrical prose. Fleeing Colorado, chased by men set on retribution, Jim returns to New Mexico, tormented by his own relentless conscience.Ī stunning, savage novel of art and violence, love and grief, The Painter is the story of a man who longs to transcend the shadows in his heart, a man intent on using the losses he has suffered to create a meaningful life. But one afternoon, on a dirt road, Jim comes across a man beating a small horse, and a brutal encounter rips his quiet life wide open. Now he spends his days painting and fly-fishing, trying to find a way to live with the dark impulses that sometimes overtake him. In the wake of tragedy, Jim, a well-known expressionist painter, abandoned the art scene of Santa Fe to start fresh in the valleys of rural Colorado.

Jim Stegner has seen his share of violence and loss. Peter Heller, the celebrated author of the breakout best seller The Dog Stars, returns with an achingly beautiful, wildly suspenseful second novel about an artist trying to outrun his past.

The dog stars review