Ma hope i ka makahiki 1984, he manaʻo ʻē ko Ken Haruf o ka hana ʻana i kona homeland a me nā kamaʻāina nondescript i wahi no ka puke. ʻAʻole ia he mea hou aʻe a liʻiliʻi paha e hana ʻia i nā wahi like ʻole ma muli o ke ʻano o ka ʻāina a i ʻole no nā ʻano pupule a nā kamaʻāina. Akā ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻoiai ʻoe e kākau nei ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ke kau ʻia ma Maine exuberant, like Stephen King. A i ʻole ke ʻimi nei i kahi mea exotic, mai kahi o kā mākou wahi maʻamau e concoct me ka maʻalahi ... He kūlanakauhale hiamoe kahi āu e kū ʻole ai inā hāʻawi kahi mea aloha iā ʻoe i kahi pō pupule i ka hoki o ka honua.
Akā hiki i kekahi mea kupaianaha ke kū aʻe mai kahi manaʻo ʻē. No ka mea ma waena o ka anodyne koe wale nō e ʻimi i nā huapalapala me nā kikoʻī o ka maʻi, e like me nā voyeaurs e ʻiʻini nei e ʻike i ka ʻuhane a me ka ʻenekini o nā hana maʻamau. Ma muli o ka hopena e hana mau ka anomal, ka noho, ka phobia a i ʻole ka phobia i hoʻokuʻu ʻia ... a lele nā mea āpau i ka lewa ...
ʻO ka puna ia o 1977 ma Holt, Colorado. ʻO Octogenarian Edith Goodnough e moe nei i kahi moena haukapila a nānā kahi mākaʻi i kona lumi. I kekahi mau mahina ma mua, ua hoʻopau ke ahi i ka hale kahi a Edith i noho ai me kona kaikaina ʻo Lyman, a ua hoʻopiʻi ʻia ʻo ia no kāna pepehi kanaka. I kekahi lā, hele mai kahi mea kākau moʻolelo i ke kaona e nānā i ka hanana a kamaʻilio iā Sanders Roscoe, ka mahiʻai kokoke, nāna e pale iā Edith, hōʻole e ʻōlelo. Akā ʻo ka hopena, ʻo ka leo o Sanders e haʻi mai iā mākou i kona ola, kahi moʻolelo i hoʻomaka i ka makahiki 1906, i ka wā i hele mai ai nā mākua o Edith lāua ʻo Lyman iā Holt e ʻimi i ka ʻāina a me ka waiwai, a hala nā makahiki he ʻehiku.
I loko o kēia puke mua, lawe ʻo Kent Haruf iā mākou i ʻAmelika hema, kahi ʻāina i hana ʻia i nā pepeiao o ka palaoa, ka mauʻu a me nā bipi, nā lani hōkū i ke kauwela a me ka hau nui i ka hoʻoilo, kahi kahi loina o ka lawena hiki ʻole ke hoʻopili ʻia, pili i ka ʻāina. a me ka ʻohana, a ma hea e mōhai ai kēia wahine i kona mau makahiki i ka inoa o ka hana a me ka mahalo a laila, me ke ʻano hoʻokahi, e koi i kona kūʻokoʻa. Haʻi mai ʻo Haruf iā mākou e pili ana i kāna mau huapalapala me ka ʻole o ka hoʻokolokolo ʻana iā lākou, mai ka hilinaʻi hohonu i ka hanohano a me ke kūpaʻa o ka ʻuhane kanaka nāna i hoʻokalahala iki kona leo palapala.
Hiki iā ʻoe ke kūʻai i kēia puke i ka puke The "Strongest Bond", na Kent Haruf, ma aneʻi:
