“Sinfully Flawed”

I have long been a fan of noted author Larry McMurtry. To many readers, he is probably best known for his western based works, Lonesome Dove [1985] and Buffalo Girls [1990]. I find some of his earlier novels, The Last Picture Show [1966] and Terms of Endearment [1975], to be fine examples of his literary prowess.

Sadly, Sin Killer [2002] is not in a league with any of the above.


The Plot –

Sin Killer is set in America during the westward expansion years of the 1830s. This volume follows the noble [and I use that term very loosely] Berrybender family as they traverse the Missouri River enroute west. Reviewer, James D. Houston, calls Sin Killer “a sprawling parody of the frontier encounter” [The Washington Post, 19 May 2002, Book World, p-1].

It must be parody as the Berrybenders are among the most unlikely of “pioneers”. Being of the moneyed English aristocracy, the family travels in a style most dissimilar to the average westward wayfarer. For starters, they comprise nearly the entire passenger list of the paddle steamer, Rocky Mount. [This is a most prophetic name as the voyage is anything but smooth and there is certainly a great deal of mounting recounted.] They even tow behind an entire keelboat to transport Lord Berrybender’s potable possessions [and we are not talking water].

Despite the Berrybender family’s size [14 children not counting those born “out of wedlock”], they journey with even more retainers than family members. Many European countries are represented among the cellist, cook, gunsmith, hunter, stable boy, tutors, valet, and such that attend to the family needs. Among the few other passengers are painter George Catlin and a trio of Indian [McMurtry’s term] chiefs. Arrogant men, conniving women, dishonest servants, drunken Native Americans; McMurtry may have overlooked a stereotype here and there – but he did not neglect many.

Along the way the entourage encounters all manner of impediments – natural and man-made. Buffalo, drought, hailstorms, high water, hunting mishaps, itinerant clergy, low water, sandbars, savages, shamans – well, you get the picture. It is an eventful voyage to say the least.

The central theme – if there is one – revolves around the romance of eldest daughter Tasmin and Jim Snow. In the midst of all the trials and tribulations of the American frontier, these two manage to meet, fight, love, leave, reunite, and leave [and in just about that order]. I found this attraction and union highly unlikely – but that statement itself seems like the height of understatement.

McMurtry obviously intended this as a series from the very first word. Precipitely 4 and ½ pages into Chapter 61, on page 300, the story abruptly ends. [I kept looking for the rest but the following sheets of paper are still blank.] Some obvious questions remain unasked. Many more that were raised in the novel remain unanswered. [There are more loose ends here than in an “Irish pennant” contest at boot camp.]


The Central Characters –

Sin Killer is populated with a wide assortment of fictional characters intermixed with a handful of historical names. Four, among this motley crew, are more central to the novel. Most of the others flit in and out of the storyline somewhat willy-nilly.

Captain George Aitken - Experienced, intrepid, and world-wise skipper of the paddle steamer Rocky Mount. Captain Aitken is the unenviable waterborne shepherd to this flock of aristocrats, servants, and other assorted passengers and guests. [Of all the book’s characters, he came the closest to being somewhat believable.]

Jim Snow - Frontiersman, Indian fighter, preacher, trader – it seems that Jim is different things to different people. He even has different names to go with his various passions. The Sin Killer of the title is but one of them. [I could almost take to Jim but his total nonchalance was simply too inexplicable.]

Lord Albany Berrybender - Clan patriarch, master of the manor, philanderer – Lord Berrybender is all that and more. An avid hunter and prodigious drinker, he puts everything and everyone at risk in his headlong rush to hunt new game. [Insulated by his title and money, he is so oblivious to reality as to seem the buffoon.]

Tasmin Berrybender - Headstrong, opinionated, tempestuous – Tasmin is the eldest of the Berrybender children. She scorns the niceties of English society to follow Jim Snow into a still unsettled – and unsettling – America. [Her chameleon like shifts from loving to lethal left me scratching my head in disbelief.]


Final Thoughts –

Sin Killer is certainly not among McMurtry’s finer literary efforts. The plot line is thin in parts and outrageous in others. Many of the scenarios presented are simply too far-fetched for my taste. Jim and Tasmin are explored in some detail but the rest of the characters are very weakly drawn.

I rated Sin Killer Average because I am comparing it to novels in general. Were I to rate it against McMurtry's other works, it would earn a resounding Avoid It!

The novel is wandering and inconsistent. There was just too little about the Sin Killer that grabbed me.

As a long time McMurtry fan, I wish that I could say that I am anxiously awaiting the second volume in The Berrybender Narratives. [Frankly, I would rather he return to complete the series that he inaugurated with Boone’s Lick.]

Much to my embarrassment, however, I must admit that I probably will read the next segment. Hope, you see, springs eternal and I can only chance that McMurtry is able to rescue his Berrybender tetralogy from a most lackluster beginning.

You can learn more about Larry McMurtry and his writings at http://www.canoe.ca/JamBooksFeatures/mcmurty.html or http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-mcmurtry-larry.asp. James Houston’s review can be read at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30284-2002May16.html.

Sin Killer
Larry McMurtry
2002
Simon & Schuster, NY
ISBN 0-7432-3302-6
© 2002 Gungian