Although this book was published several years ago, I was so moved by the story, I had to write about it. The Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers is the story of four young men whose personal journeys and quest for justice bring them together. Set against the harsh beauty of the Badlands, Carson Fielding, a horse trainer, is hired to work for the controlling, mercenary ranch owner Magnus Yarborough, who still holds a grudge from a horse sale to Carson years ago. Yarborough wants Carson to train three horses and teach his new young wife, Rebecca, to ride. Carson and "Reb" as he calls her fall in love but do not act on their emotions. Yarborough still suspects them and in an act of vengeance, removes the horses Carson has trained to a remote area where they are slowing starving to death. What ensues is the development of a strong, almost mystical bond among Carson, Earl, a bright Lakota teenager, Willi, a German exchange student who is fleeing a dark family history, and Ted, another Lakota who is falling prey to alcoholism. Their journey to save the horses--and, in a sense, themselves--is told in language that evokes the broad sweep of this Western landscape.
Readers who like Meyers will also enjoy Leif Enger's Peace Like a River and Kent Haruf's Plainsong.
