I’m always happy to see something new by Patrick deWitt in the publishing schedules. He’s still not leapt over the high bar set by The Sisters Brothers for me, but I always enjoy his novels. Set in 1967, Dodge City follows Lee Clarke who takes to the road, heading for Canada, after his draft notice is served.
Cal saw Lee as a model of 1950s masculinity, and while she couldn’t deny her desire for and enjoyment of him, she was a little disappointed in herself that she has succumbed to the antique figurehead.
From quintessential small-town America, Lee’s been thrown off his UCLA course after an altercation with a privileged hippie resulting in a suspension of his draft deferment. Three weeks later, he’s neglected to re-enrol and finds himself called up for a fitness test prior to the training which will see him shipped out to Vietnam. Lee’s a practical guy, conventional and solid, the antithesis of Cal, the woman he’s almost been living with, uncomfortable with her druggie, freedom loving pals. He sets himself up with a drive-away, ostensibly delivering an E-Type Jaguar to New Jersey which will take him across the country, calling in on the various scattered members of his family before heading for the border. He’s not seen his father since leaving home and is dismayed by the state he’s in; his mother, who long ago departed to live with her brother in their old Montana family home, delivers a lecture on patriotism; his estranged brother seems settled in the town full of transients he’s fetched up in and his sister appears set on trashing her nursing career with her sexual indiscretions. All four think Lee should knuckle down and serve his country, but he doggedly continues, every day calling Cal who finally picks up on the last day of his journey.
Lee Clarke drove through the night to New York City at an even eighty, experiencing pulsing surges of deranged happiness followed by plummeting moments of terror and abhorrence.
Lee’s an ordinary guy faced with circumstances which lead him to step off the track down which his life is heading. He calmly makes his plan, surprised by the reactions of friends and family, not least his unconventional friend Robin who is also facing the draft but has decided to stay. DeWitt’s novel bowls along nicely as Lee heads towards taking an irrevocable step sure that it’s the right thing for him. His story is delivered with an entertaining wit rather than the more outlandish humour of French Exit or the slapstick of The Sisters Brothers although there’s a touch of the Wes Anderson about it now and again. Both a road novel and a love story, it has things to say about patriotism and what one’s country asks one to do which seems pertinent in today’s climate. I wondered if it had been prompted by deWitt’s status as a Canadian living in the US over the last couple of years, something its final few words seemed to underline.
4th Estate Books: London 9780008781347 272 pages Hardback (NetGalley)
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I’ve only had one encounter with de Witt, and it made little impression on me. I must have chosen the wrong one (no, I don’t remember which one it was). You encourage me to have another go!
I think his weakest is The Librarianist which many disliked for its meandering digression. This one’s much more straightforward.
Ah, that was it! The one I read, I mean. Right, he gets another chance.
Fingers crossed
I did like the Librarian, but enjoyed the flashback bits less than the contemporary main drift.
Can’t wait to read this, I hope my copy turns up soon! I do so love a road trip novel (unless it’s Miranda July’s All Fours, which promised a road trip but didn’t go anywhere!)
Like you, I’m fond of Patrick deWitt although I haven’t followed his work that closely (I’ve yet to read my copy of French Exit). This one sounds promising; it’s definitely on the TBR!
I’m pleased to see my library has this on order so I hope to put in my reservation soon. I didn’t gel with the Librarian but I do like the sound of this one. IMO the motivation for travel is very often at root driven by existential anxiety, so that opening line of your review really resonates with me.