The Rest of the Earth

Walker Avery, a young man alone, never having really known his father, makes his way from the east by sea to San Francisco. It is after the Civil War, and Walker is looking to find where he fits, and armed with a hand drawn map he leaves San Francisco and makes for Wyoming. We follow Walker, a slight young man, yet skilled and resourceful, mild and unassuming, on his travels and through various relationships. He eventually encounters a young native girl, the last of a tribe wiped out by disease through contact with the white man. He settles with her, but even then nothing is settled yet for Walker. The Rest of the Earth is a beautiful story, made even more so in the telling. The descriptive prose brings into play all the senses, we not only see the land through which Walker travels, we sense it, smell it, fell it, hear it and even taste it. The characters come alive, and even though the dialogue is sparse it is yet thoroughly convincing. This is a book not to be rushed through but one to savour, to enjoy the detailed richness of the writing, the evocation of a time of adventure and discovery; a story which does not need the addition of thrills or drama beyond that which is inherent.

This is not a work to read in a long weekend, which is what I loved about it. The language is elaborate, surreal, smart, gorgeous, and complicated. The story itself is simple: Walker Avary wants to build on some land in the Wyoming territory. But the rendering is anything but simple, and leaves you feeling you've experienced something epic in its dimensions. A must read for folks who have tired of the "quick read." It's easy to see why Annie Proulx fell in love with Henderson's writing.

To follow Walker Avery through The Rest of the Earth is to take a spritual voyage through a dreamy American landscape. Henderson's etherial prose evokes deep longing, but does it honestly, without manipulation or trickery. Henderson suprised with new spiritual possibilities, and forgotten emotions from deep within. With this book, Henderson has honed his craft to a level uncommon in modern American literature. Experience its magic. I have never read anthing like it and cannot wait for his next.

I was fortunate enough to have taken The Rest of the Earth with me on a trip to Montana. Having the time to read the novel alone and uninterrupted was one of those literary pleasures that will be remembered forever. I entered the dreamscape of young Walker Avary and flowed with the beautifully written tale of a sensuous drifter. I marvelled at Mr. Henderson's ability to craft a story with a plot that moves mysteriously from the subtleties of deeply buried emotions interwined with the inevitability of landscape and weather.

Henderson's writing has improved since his first novel "Native," which was no slouch in the prose department itself. Despite the adventurous and even sexy plot, this is not a book to zip through in one sitting. Henderson's unique groove needs to steep in the sun or laze in the shade to come into its full splendor. Take your time with this one, savor its tastes and hum its melody, and it will change the way you look at landscape forever