Customer Reviews

Undiscovered Country: A Novel

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This striking debut novel opens in California with an adult narrator explaining that he's finally going to write down the truth about what happened back home in Minnesota some ten years ago, in what what seems to be the early 1980s (although it often seems more like the '40s or '50s). Jesse's never told his younger teenage brother Magnus the truth -- and this manuscript is going to lay it all out for him. Ten years ago, when Jesse was 17, he was hunting deer with their father in the woods outside Battlepoint, MN. Sitting in his blind, he heard a shot from where his father was a few hundred yards away. He ran over to find the top half of his father's head blown off, in an apparent act of suicide. Although the local authorities confirm this, Jesse was very close to his father (who was also the local mayor and restaurateur) and can't believe he would kill himself.

What ensues is a taut psychological mystery, as Jesse's mother retreats into a depressive shell and Jesse starts poking around, trying to figure out who might have wanted to kill his father and why. This leads him pretty much straight to his father's brother Clay, a knockabout rouge who's never been able to make much of himself. Jesse knows that his still-beautiful mother dated Clay before his father came along, and suspects Uncle Clay of harboring deep resentment against his successful brother. Even though there's no evidence of murder, and his mother tries to dissuade him, Jesse is spurred on by repeated visitations from his father's ghost. The question then becomes whether or not Jesse will require any evidence before deciding his uncle is guilty, and what form his revenge will take if he does decide that way.

Yes, this is a reworking of "Hamlet," but the handling of Jesse's desperate internal struggle feels fresh and vivid, as the teenager struggles with very adult issues he's not quite prepared for. Matters are further complicated by his developing relationship with an immigrant classmate who has her own dire family problems to grapple with. For the most part the writing does a great job of capturing the blinding anger and confusion of a teenager, although at times it does slip into allowing Jesse and his girlfriend to be a touch too articulate or wise. Reworkings of classics are usually either fun romps or a total flops -- this is that rarest of outcomes, one well worth reading on its own merit.

Yeats' words "a terrible beauty is born" seem appropriate here--"cold glitter" would also be fitting. This is a powerful and lyrical story, almost entirely told in a small northern Minnesota town in the dead of winter. Harold, the father of 17-year-old Jesse Matson is shot a quarter-mile away from his son while both are hunting deer. Accident, murder, or suicide? Jesse immediately suspects his father's younger brother Clay, but the authorities are convinced it was self-inflicted. Harold was having business problems and was not a happy man.

Jesse's mother was Clay's girlfriend before Harold married her. Things begin to get very strange: Harold's ghost appears to Jesse. In school, Jesse's class had read Hamlet, so here we have, in ways, a version of the King, Claudius, and Hamlet, along with the King's ghost. Jesse becomes convinced that he must lay a trap for Clay to establish his guilt: for Jesse the ghost is real, but he also realizes that maybe his mind is playing tricks on him. You see through the eyes of a troubled 17-year-old, and you understand that Jesse believes (mostly) that he sees the ghost, but at the same time the reader is not being asked to believe it--so this never devolves into some kind of supernatural tale. Jesse does come to believe that he must avenge his father--not an easy task for a boy/young man like Jesse, and of course it was not an easy task for Hamlet either.

So the reader is carried along, through a beautifully-drawn setting, wondering how Jesse will resolve matters. There's even an Ophelia in the form of Christine Montez, Jesse's girlfriend. If this seems a bit too heavy-handed on the Hamlet side, it's not, and it isn't a modern-day retelling of Hamlet. It works well and effectively. This is a fine and compelling first novel--and it certainly is on a par with Peace Like a River and So Brave, Young, and Handsome, two fine novels by Lin Enger's younger brother Leif. Both of Leif Enger's novels have a slightly surrealistic/supernatural feel to them, along with a wonderful feel for time and place. Lin Enger's work shares those same qualities: an excellent novel!

Ten years afterwards, Jesse Matson tells the story of what happened--how he found his father dead in the woods when they were out hunting, an apparent suicide. Despite the coroner's determination, Jesse can't accept that his father killed himself. Harold Matson wouldn't have done that to his family; he wouldn't have done it to Jesse, whom he knew would be the one to find him. A nagging feeling in his gut leads Jesse to suspect that his father was murdered by his own brother. Jesse's Uncle Clay is a ne'er-do-well who has long resented his brother's success, in particular his success at getting the girl: Jesse's mother had dated Clay before she met and married Harold.

If the plot of Lin Enger's Undiscovered Country sounds familiar, the echo is intentional. The novel is a modern-day retelling--in five acts and complete with ghost--of Hamlet, set in the frigid temperatures of northern Minnesota. The relationship between the two stories is acknowledged in the book itself: Jesse is conscious that he's been cast as Hamlet in his own version of the tragedy.

The drama of Undiscovered Country lies not so much in uncovering the mystery of Harold Matson's death--though for much of the story there is room to doubt whether Jesse's instincts are correct. The suspense comes rather from waiting to see how Jesse will act on his suspicions, and whether the choice he makes will result in his own destruction.

What's particularly good about this book is its depiction of setting, the abiding cold that Enger's characters seem largely inured to. Reading it, one can almost feel the bite of the air, hear the crunch of snow breaking underfoot. Undiscovered Country is well-written, but it's also a page-turner. You'll want to keep reading it, even if you think you know what happens.

-- Debra Hamel

Lin, brother of writer Leif Enger, has produced a stunning first novel. Set in rural Minnesota, in the town of Battlepoint, Undiscovered Country opens when, while hunting, a wound from a gunshot kills mayor and restaurant owner Harold Matson. His 17-year-old son, Jesse was in a tree stand nearby, and discovers the body. It appears to be self-inflicted, but Jesse cannot accept that verdict. He suspects that his uncle Clay, his father's brother, has finally snapped and killed him.

Clay had always loved Jesse's mother, and struggled living in the shadow of his successful and responsible brother. This conviction is exacerbated by Jesse's visions of his father's ghost, who has cryptic conversations with Jesse. The bleak and icy winter landscape is every bit as frozen as Jesse's heart. He is angry with his mother, who dissolves into an inactive catatonic grief-closing the family restaurant, and not dealing with their money problems.

Eventually Jesse talks with Clay's autistic brother-in-law Dwayne, who tells a tale of Clay taking a rifle from a closet the day that Harold was shot, and then later throwing something in the lake outside the farmhouse he lives in. Dwayne agrees to go to the sheriff with this story, but then disappears. Jesse tells the sheriff, and then they confront Clay, who has a plausible explanation; and Jesse's resolve to take justice into his own hands hardens. Christine Montez, Jesse's girlfriend, senses the way he is leaning, and tries to influence him. Jesse's struggle with his fears and suspicions, his anger and his frustrations are skillfully rendered.

This modern Hamlet parable will chill you and capture your imagination as you struggle along with Jesse to find the right path.

Armchair Interviews says: Excellent storytelling, very sad, but well written.

Lin Enger's debut novel Undiscovered Country is a modernized retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet set in small town Minnesota. It's a shame that the other Minnesota set Hamlet reiteration (the mind-numbingly boring, long winded, and canine obsessed The Story of Edgar Sawtelle) is receiving so much more attention and praise. Undiscovered Country is superior in that it successfully captures the melancholy and dramatic atmosphere of Hamlet, yet the plot is fast paced with characters that are both interesting and human. The novel is so well written that it would be just as compelling even with no allusions to the Bard's tale.

Undiscovered Country is told in hindsight as the protagonist Jesse records the events surrounding the death of his father during a hunting trip a decade after it happened. While waiting for the coroner to rule on whether the shooting was a suicide or an accident, we are introduced to Jesse's vamp of a mother Genevieve and his covetous uncle Clay. Like Hamlet, Jesse believes he sees the ghost of his father while we the readers are left to wonder if it is merely a symptom of his own grief stricken madness. The vision plants a suspicion in Jesse's mind that soon evolves into obsession, and Jesse is driven to seek the truth as well as vengeance from his uncle.

There's a side plot involving an Ophelia inspired romantic interest, but it's Jesse's inner turmoil as well as his interactions with his vixenish mother and possibly villainous uncle that are most riveting. This is the rare novel that contains two climactic scenes - the first and most of tense being the claustrophobic confrontation in Clay's ice fishing lodge. Whether you're a Shakespeare fan or not, I recommend Undiscovered Country if you want to read a strong and suspenseful drama.

I loved Enger's writing style in his novel "Undiscovered Country". Today I had the opportunity to hear Enger read a chapter from his next novel (as yet untitled) at the Fargo (ND) Public Library. It was a spellbinding experience. His precise wording enabled me to follow every movement and thought of his central character. I can hardly wait for its publication. Thanks, Lin!

The story is very well written and certainly holds my interest. I have to keep myself from racing ahead to see what is going to happen. But why oh why are there no quotation marks? The story would certainly read more smoothly were they there.

I do have to say that all the talk about this being a modern Hamlet does rather spoil the mystery aspect of the story. By page 5 I had figured out "whodoneit".

I could not put this book down, it had everything you would want in a story. There was high points, low points, love, death, everything. I will be recomending this book to anyone I speak to about books for a long time.

Perfect balance. Beautiful integrity. Wonderful character. Warm read. Take the trip.

I learned about Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger through Amazon's recommendation feature. Since I enjoyed So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger, they thought I would like this novel too. In this case, Amazon did a good job with their recommendation.

Undiscovered Country is the story of Jesse Martin who discovers his father Harold dead during a hunting expedition in rural Minnesota where it would appear that Harold had taken his own life. Enger's story follows Jesse's attempts to rationalize the situation and see if things are really what they seem to be. At seventeen years of age, this is a tall order. Jesse has his brother Magnus (ten years his junior) to look after along with his emotionally distant mother, Genevieve. Harold's brother Clay takes an active role in picking up the pieces, but this only seems to complicate things for Jesse. While trying to track down the truth, Jesse is stuck by conflicting emotions. As he suspects that his father was actually murdered, Jesse is filled with thoughts of hate and revenge. However these are balanced by his discovery of love with Christine Montez, a girl whose family lives in the local neighborhood known as Little Mexico. The resolution/climax of the story left a little to be desired as it requires the reader to suspend reality that the events could really play out that way.

However, that is really the main criticism that I can offer of this novel. Enger's writing style flows smoothly although I found it an odd choice not to include quotation marks for the dialog in the story. It got used to this, but it was initially distracting. It is probably not unexpected given the circumstances of the story, but those who remain of the Martin family have a fairly dysfunctional relationship. Genevieve seems to only have enough attention for Magnus while she lends her ear almost exclusively to Clay. Jesse is left to fend for himself, but he fairs about how you would expect a seventeen year old to. This part of the story, though, is very believable. Enger shows that he is a capable writer who has the potential to be really good. I look forward to his next novel.

Overall: B-