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Thomas Savage: The Power of the Dog

saliotthomas

New Member
This was impressive, and more than a little disturbing.

It gives my reading year a certain logic, starting with Revlutionary road and finishing with The power of the dog, both about the power of destruction poeple have in a close relationship, and both perfectly constructed with a key ending.(even more Savage book)
I love novel with a beautifull doom mechanic, with short stories like little pieces of machinery leading impossible situation, the self entrapment. How hatred or love slowly built and become sickness.
The story set in a Montana ranch in the 20's with two brothers Phil and Georges, wealthy but living simply a life of strict routine and were ostentation is shamefull. The are the last real cowboy just when the first movie ones start to appear. Phil rules, he is smart and hard, he knows how and where to hurt, and we slowly get to realize that he poisoned the lives of his parent(who left) and brother who more and more folded on himself.

So when Georges decide to marrie a widow and bring her home with her son, Phil's poison turn on them. The son, a boy with artistic taste and clever mind is instantly treated has a girl, a sissy and Rose the mother, Irish, beautifull and hard working is pushed to drink by the silent presence and judgement of Phil.
His power is in few word, silence is more efficent, and when he talk, he manage to reach the most inner fears in the one he want to humiliate.
But like gifted despotes, he is an interesting charactere, we would like to love him, a weird twisted attraction for greatness gone wrong.

The great orginilaty of it is in the ending, and the beauty of the paradox it revealt. How the weakest can sometime overcome the strong, it's David and Goliath all over again.

To come back to Yates, Savage has the same subltility, this precision in playing with humain feeling, never in the novel the thread are to apparent, all come out slowly and make sense.
Savage has deffenetly the power of the underdog, and his little fame is a shame.
I hope some of you might get an interest and help dispell a bit of the oblivion surronding him.
 
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