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Louis “Buck” Steichen was blessed with a wonderful wife, Ellie. They had many children, both girls and boys. Buck expected that his boys would help him on the farm while his daughters would learn domestics from his wife and marry well. Buck always dreamed of being successful, whatever course he chose. He had many homesteads and farmed quite a bit, but he never could make good. Buck was best when dealing with horses. Rats were always a problem around Buck’s home, but he always dealt with them with his favorite poison, Rough on Rats. However, Buck’s life didn’t go as planned. His family was continually plagued with typhoid, and he lost many family members to the disease. His optimistic wife always found something to be thankful for during their trials, but they began to wear on Buck’s faith. Buck’s daughters often defied his father and had older suitors, which often turned into pregnancies. Buck couldn’t accept this, and after losing his wife, he lost his self-control when he found another daughter with an older man. He lost his temper and threatened her with a shotgun, ending up in jail. After nearly a year in jail and losing his family and almost all he had, he finally got out and made a new start. But he was attracted to the young wife of a questionable acquaintance and found it hard to keep his desire in check.
Riepe’s book is based on historical data he has discovered. He includes several photos to accompany his text which add credibility to his work. Any reader with knowledge of the Bible will quickly find a correlation between Buck’s story and the book of Job. Both main characters deal with an inordinate amount of suffering and familial loss. However, whereas Job holds his faith, Buck loses his. This allows a great chance for examing questions of faith and suffering, although the narrative doesn’t spend much time exploring this avenue. Interestingly enough, the thoughts of Buck and the setting bring to mind the book Stoner by John Williams. Although that novel is mostly concerned with campus life, the setting and the internal dialogue of the protagonists share some similarities. Both characters are also prone to introspection. Riepe’s character generally sees all his troubles based on a God who is doing nothing for him, while Stone’s protagonist is more empathetic and philosophical.
The historical context of Riepe’s book is quite interesting, and the author does a nice job of creating a narrative out of a few uncovered documents that he then relates to the past of the places he explores. As a character, Buck comes across as not very likable and engages the reader much like an old acquaintance who, when spending time with him, leaves one with the sense that everything is worse and much more depressed than before. Readers who are interested in developing a historical narrative around factual records could find the story quite engaging in filling in the details about the life of such a mysterious man.