FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE is set in the American west just
after the Civil
War and it's main character is a veteran named Bobby Hale.
Bobby actually joins the union, collects his bonus, drops
out and rejoins under a new name 9 different times. When
the war is over, since he has no family waiting for him to
return, he heads out west in search of land and adventure.
He does not realize the volatile situation that exists
between the American militia and the Indians.
At first, Bobby travels with a wagon caravan and a man
named Theo who is in charge of the caravan. Theo teaches
Bobby to respect the culture of the Indians and how to
navigate the vast and open land of the American west.
When the caravan finally reaches Bozeman, Bobby is not
sure
what to do with himself, so he teams up with an Indian
friend of his named Big Tree and they become fur trappers.
The five years he spends with Big Tree living off of the
land and traveling are some of the most peaceful and
satisfying in his life. Bobby learns more about Indian
culture in his travels and he gains a true friend in the
process. When an Indian woman comes between them, Bobby
steps aside and separates himself from Big Tree so that
his
friend can be happy.
The final part of FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE deals with
Bobby's adventures
after he accidentally shoots an Indian woman named Ink.
unlikely friendship between Bobby and Ink. Bobby feels
This was my favorite part of the book as it develops the
the
need to protect Ink as she is running away from her
husband.
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE highlights a controversial part
of American history as the militia tries to build The
United States "from sea to shining sea." It vividly
depicts the tragic struggle between the Indians and the
American government and the fact that both sides
completely
misunderstand each other. I loved the setting of this
book
in the American west and I also grew to like the character
of Bobby.
Bobby Hale is a Union veteran several times over. After the war, he sets his sights on California, but only makes it to Montana. As he stumbles around the West, from the Wyoming Territory to the Black Hills of the Dakotas, he finds meaning in the people he meets-settlers and native people-and the violent history he both participates in and witnesses. Far as the Eye Can See is the story of life in a place where every minute is an engagement in a kind of war of survival, and how two people-a white man and a mixed-race woman-in the midst of such majesty and violence can manage to find a pathway to their own humanity. Robert Bausch is the distinguished author of a body of work that is lively and varied, but linked by a thoughtfully complicated masculinity and an uncommon empathy. The unique voice of Bobby Hale manages to evoke both Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain, guiding readers into Indian country and the Plains Wars in a manner both historically true and contemporarily relevant, as thoughts of race and war occupy the national psyche.
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