Once in a while I read a book, and am conscious of the fact, as I read it, that I am in the presence of greatness. This should not be confused with saying I am reading a "great" book. I mean a book that is great literature.
Killing Mr. Watson, by Peter Matthiessen is such a book. Debbie, who loaned me the book comes from many generations of Florida natives, for all I know some of them might have lived like characters in this book. (Deb, are you descended from Mr. Watson?) She said it was a wonderful book and she was right. And more than that, it is beautifully written.
The setting is the Ten Thousand Islands, a group of God-forsaken islands on the Gulf coast of Florida off the Everglades, in the late 1800's and early 1900's. About a dozen families live in the area in the beginning, most there because they are hiding from something. They are pioneers, redneck crackers, barfooted, and making a living any way they can, from plume-hunting to alligator trapping to fishing .
Into their world comes Mr. Watson, charismatic and charming, strong and intelligent, a gifted farmer who is generous and open handed with his neighbors. He's a crack shot who always has a pistol at his side, who has a hair-trigger temper. Is he the "desperader" who killed Belle Starr? Is he being mistaken for someone else? Or is he just a loving husband and father trying to make the best possible world for his family?
You learn the answers to these questions and many more, as statements taken from inhabitants of Chokoloskee and Lost Man's Key and the tiny settlements in between slowly weave the story and cast their spell.
In between, you learn about lawlessness, and politics, and the desecration of the land and the animals. There are cattle drives in Florida to Fort Myers, and bar fights in Key West. It is about racism and ignorance, insight and sensitivity, and the subjectivity of justice and the law. It is about determination and survival in the face of the worst that nature and man can throw at you.
The story is told in their own words by a dozen or so family members and neighbors of E.J. Watson, who give different views of the events in the book. Interspersed are newspaper articles from the time. Debbie had told me it might take 30 or 40 pages to get used to the style, and she was right, but once I got used to it, I could scarcely put the book down.
Peter Matthiessen took some newspaper articles and books of the time, and the few known facts about these communities and Mr. Watson, and constructed this compelling tale. He calls it a novel, but he interviewed dozens, some of whom were youngsters in the community at the time, and others who were descended from those who were there, and were willing to share their knowledge. So it is a novel as based on fact as you could hope to find.
This is the first thing I have read by Matthiessen, who has had an award-studded writing career. Including several nominations for the National Book Award, which he received for The Snow Leopard. His other novels include At Play in the Fields of the Lord, and Far Tortuga. In addition, he had a parallel career as a naturalist, which resulted in a number of highly acclaimed non-fiction books.
I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. I find more great recommendations for reading selections by reading other people's blogs. This one looks terrific!
Posted by: thebizofknowledge | July 30, 2006 at 03:21 PM
Hello, my name is Alvin and i'm a South Florida Historian. I saw your review on Peter Matthiessens book and wondered if you read "lostmans river" and "bone by bone"??? they are the two other books in the watson trilogy. I am personal friends with Peter Matthiessen and the Watson Family. I also know a member of almost ever Family mentioned in the trilogy. I have researched Edgar Watson for about 10 years now and I have found that almost everything in the first book is true. I have been to the old cemetery in Ft. Myers and I saw your image that you posted of Edgar's marker. I look forward to talking with you if you want to e-mail me?
regards
Alvin
Posted by: Alvin Lederer | April 15, 2007 at 12:51 AM
"Redneck Crackers"? You're a RACIST BITCH!
Posted by: JC | October 18, 2010 at 07:18 PM