Eventide

A novel about the contingency and instability of modern identity, American writer Kent Haruf’s Eventide (2005) profiles several residents of the fictional town Holt, Colorado over part of a year. The novel is distinguished by its emphasis on characterization rather than plot, examining how the townspeople are entangled in each other’s perceptions, beliefs, narratives, and moral problems. The novel falls into the “slice of life” genre, focusing on the ordinary (or seemingly so) facets of existence in small-town America. It follows his 1999 work, Plainsong, also based in Holt.

The story first introduces the characters, Raymond and Harold McPheron. Brothers, cattle ranchers, and single, they both have gone through a heartbreak earlier in life. When Harold was younger, the girl he loved left him. Raymond’s past is barely mentioned but involves heartbreak, not unlike his brother’s. The brothers meet a young African-American mother and her daughter, Victoria and Katie Roubideaux, who left their home in Denver to get away from a bad partner. Raymond and Harold provide them with food, shelter, and financial support, and they come to think of each other as family. Tragedy strikes the family when an enraged bull kills Harold. Raymond and Victoria are devastated and lonely.

Next, the novel introduces Luther and Betty Wallace, a couple barely scraping by on disability and food stamps. They are the parents of the young boys Rae and Richie. Betty suffers from a severe abdominal disorder for which she and her doctors have found no cure. Luther is portrayed as a clumsy fool who, though kind, is rather helpless. The family is lucky to have a competent and kind caseworker, Rose Tyler. However, little can prepare them for the day Betty’s unstable, alcoholic uncle, Hoyt Raines, decides to move in with them. Neither Luther nor Betty stands up to Hoyt, who, in his usual pattern, abuses and manipulates those around him, especially Rae and Richie. Hoyt threatens the Wallaces into enabling his behavior further. Eventually, after marks are discovered on the boys at school, Luther and Betty are investigated for abuse. The investigation leads to Hoyt, who is arrested but receives little jail time.



The next vignette involves a young man named DJ. Because both of his parents are dead, he lives with his grandfather. DJ becomes infatuated with Dena Wells. Dena is injured in a serious car accident with her sister, Emma. Their father leaves their mother, Mary, for another woman while working out in Alaska. After these tragedies, Mary decides to move the family to a different city. DJ is heartbroken over losing Dena. One evening, he goes to a bar with his grandfather, and witnesses Hoyt, fresh out of jail, objectifying and insulting a female bartender while attempting a sexual advance. DJ smashes a bottle in his face, bloodying him. Drunk and injured, Hoyt seeks out Betty and Luther’s house again but is refused entry. After he threatens to kill them, he makes it inside and brutally beats Rae and Richie.

In the novel’s final scenes, Rose goes on a date with Raymond that is facilitated by Victoria and a group of their friends. The date goes well, and they start a relationship. Rose finds out what Hoyt did to Rae and Richie and calls the police. The police issue a warrant for Hoyt, but he goes on the run and is not found. While he is a known fugitive, the government forces the Wallaces to put Rae and Richie in foster care. Luther and Betty are devastated, but as usual, fail to do anything that can help their children. Raymond assures Rose that there was nothing she could have done to help the Wallace family. Raymond and Rose embrace, thinking about the future. Eventide ends in this momentary stillness, all of the anxiety and happiness of the characters’ lives filling up a single moment.