The Tie That Binds [Hardcover]

Kent Haruf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1984

In his critically acclaimed first novel, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough. Narrated by her neighbour, Edith's tragedies unfold: a tough childhood, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. She is a woman who sacrifices everything in the name of family - until she is forced to reclaim her freedom in one dramatic and unexpected gesture. Breathtaking and truthful, "The Tie That Binds" is a powerful tribute to the demands of rural life, and to the tenacity of the human spirit. '"Plainsong" is beautifully crafted, alive and quietly magnificent. I read it in one mesmerizing sitting. I had no choice; it wouldn't let me go' - Roddy Doyle.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An impressive, expertly crafted work of sensitivity and detail. . . . Powerful."  --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"[A] fine first novel that dramatically and accurately explores the lives of people who work the land in the stark American Middle West."  --The New York Times Book Review

"Kent Haruf writes so wonderfully. . . . His characters live, and the voice of his narrator reverberates after the last page: humorous, ironic, loving."  --The Christian Science Monitor

"Haruf's gifts as a writer go beyond choreography. He has caught his prairie people with the skill of Wright Morris, the prairie itself with the sweeping eye of Willa Cather. . . . [I]t's nearly impossible to believe this is his first novel."  --Rocky Mountain News --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Colorado, January 1977. Eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough lies in a hospital bed, IV taped to the back of her hand, police officer at her door. She is charged with murder. The clues: a sack of chicken feed slit with a knife, a milky-eyed dog tied outdoors one cold afternoon. The motives: the brutal business of farming and a family code of ethics as unforgiving as the winter prairie itself.

In his critically acclaimed first novel, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of a woman of the American High Plains, as told by her neighbor, Sanders Roscoe. As Roscoe shares what he knows, Edith's tragedies unfold: a childhood of pre-dawn chores, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. Here is the story of a woman who sacrifices her happiness in the name of family--and then, in one gesture, reclaims her freedom. Breathtaking, determinedly truthful, The Tie That Binds is a powerfully eloquent tribute to the arduous demands of rural America, and of the tenacity of the human spirit. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (October 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030719798
• ISBN-13: 978-0030719790
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even Better Than Plainsong, August 29, 2000

By 

Bryan Bickford - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tie That Binds (Paperback)

The first book I read from Kent Haruf was Plainsong, which I thought was one of the best books of the year. The Tie That Binds, however, may be even better. It's bleak simplicity, as stark as the Colorado plains in which it takes place, assaults the reader slowly and steadily, unrelenting, but sublime and oh so human. The story of Sanders Roscoe and his neighbors Edith and Lyman Goodnough is heartbreaking and inevitable. Told by Roscoe in a voice as authentic as any I've ever heard, the tale unwinds slowly and passionately. I can imagine sitting in Roscoe's house listening to him tell his side of the story with the rapt attention he demands and deserves. Like Plainsong, the book is full of characters who, with the exception of Edith's father, straddle the line between heroism and villanry. No one is without blame or imperfections, regardless of their intentions. Haruf obviously understands life in Holt, Colorado, and does a wonderful job of conveying it to the reader. Likewise, he knows people and the characters in this book jump off the pages with honesty and realness. An excellent book and another reason to delve deeper into the Haruf portfolio of fine books.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as PLAINSONG!, May 7, 2005

By 

Dave Schwinghammer "Dave Schwinghammer" (Little Falls, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tie That Binds (Paperback)

THE TIE THAT BINDS is structured differently than PLAINSONG. For one thing it's written in first person and the narrator, rancher Sanders Roscoe, holds the point of view throughout the novel. But the story is really about Edith Goodnough, who is being charged with the murder of her brother. Roscoe takes us all the way back to the nineteenth century when Edith's father Roy emigrated to Holt County, Colorado. He and his wife, Ada, have two children, Edith and Lyman. Roy is an ornery cuss who treats his family like possessions. Ada, who longs for her home country in Iowa, soon dies and Edith becomes the mother, a role she will play for the rest of her life.

Sanders' father once had a romantic attachment to Edith but Roy rejects him because he's part Native American. His father never quite gets over Edith and makes Sanders help out at the Goodnoughs when Roy tries to make Edith work in the fields. She becomes a second mother to Sanders.

These characters are simply amazing. Lyman Goodnough, who escapes his father during WWII and travels the U.S. for most of his life, is a true original. Little Rena Roscoe, Sanders' daughter, adds a little comic relief to the story when she forms an attachment to the increasingly senile Lyman. About the only character from PLAINSONG that's familiar is Sheriff Bud Sealy, who incites Sanders' wrath when he arrests Edith. Believe me, it doesn't matter; this author can make the most transitory character resonate with life.

Kent Haruf has more compassion in his little toenail than some of our religious leaders have in their whole congregation. When Edith's father dies, she winds up alone. Haruf's description of what this does to a person, sent shivers up my spine. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I've read PLAINSONG, EVENSONG and now THE TIE THAT BINDS, and I can't wait for the next episode in the lives of the people who live in Holt, Colorado.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Packs a wallop, August 15, 2000

By 

Beausoir (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tie That Binds (Paperback)

This is the 3rd Haruf book I've read. Started with PLAINSONG which was a complete masterpiece, then moved onto WHERE YOU ONCE BELONGED which was a haunting story about small town love. Now, THE TIE THAT BINDS explores the life of one central character, a woman who forsakes a deep and true lover to care for her physically maimed and emotionally abusive father. Haruf's writing is absorbing, engrossing and totally spellbinding. The reader comes to understand the motives behind the sometimes desperate actions of these people. I love the spare, bleak descriptions of life in this town of Holt. The novel builds to an inevitable, heartbreaking conclusion. I'd give more than a nickel to read more from this author...I thoroughly enjoy his work. This is a quick, compelling read that will stay with you for a long time.