Summertime is here! And what’s more appropriate for a summer on the Colorado plains than to read a Western? These gritty, atmospheric titles set in America’s west offer a distinct sense of location and intricately crafted characters. These books, modern and historical fiction, are great for fans of Yellowstone and are looking for similar storylines about family, tragedy, and a love for the land.
El Paso by Winston Groom
This action-packed novel set in the early 20th century follows an East Coast railroad tycoon, the Colonel, pitted against Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary and outlaw. After Pancho Villa has kidnapped the Colonel’s grandchildren, the patriarch and adopted son head to El Paso to hire cowboys to bring their family back.
The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.
This 1947 western follows Boone Caudill, who leaves Kentucky under dire circumstances to try to make his way to Montana. Set in the 1830s, this novel shows a harsh and somewhat destructive life of moving west. A good read for those interested in early western expansion. Guthrie Jr. followed up this novel with two more in the same storyline, The Way West and Fair Land, Fair Land.
Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
Proulx’s quick snapshots into Wyoming life is stark and moving. Many stories from this collection feature complex characters, striking landscapes, and bad luck. The final and most famous from the collection, Brokeback Mountain, is just one of the many challenging and dispiriting stories you will find in this modern take on Wyoming life.
The Sisters brothers by Patrick deWitt
Two brothers, Charlie and Eli Sisters, are tasked by the powerful Commodore with killing Hermann Kermit Warm. The two brothers must travel from Oregon City to Sacramento during the 1850s to complete their orders. deWitt’s take on a classic western is darkly humorous and was adapted into a film starring John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix in 2018.
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The first book in McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses, will leave you breathless. John Grady Cole, a sixteen-year-old boy in 1949, raised in San Angelo, Texas, must leave the family ranch after his grandfather passes away and the land is sold. John Grady and childhood friend Lacey Rawlins travel southward to look for work as cowboys where many unfortunate and moving circumstances befall them.
Black River by S. M. Hulse
Wes Carver returns to Black River, Montana when he finds out the man, Bobby Williams, is up for parole after being in prison for 20 years. Williams held Carver hostage during a prison riot and took away Carver’s ability to play music. Black River contains an intense introspection about humanity’s ability to change and features a strong sense of place in small town America.
The Ploughman by Kim Zupan
Centered around the conversations of a sheriff’s deputy, Valentine Millimaki, and John Gload, a 77-year-old brutal, killer awaiting trial, The Ploughman is a compelling contemporary western. This evocative novel, set in the Montana plains, explores friendship and drawing back the differences between the those on both sides of the jail cell.
The Weight of an Infinite Sky by Carrie La Seur
The Weight of an Infinite Sky is a story of family and the bonds that tie to legacy and land. Anthony Fry must decide if he will take over the family business in the Montana country or follow his own passions. Carrie La Seur’s western is moving and complex as it investigates how geography and family can create a destiny, whether it is wanted or not.
An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg
Jean Gilkyson is living in Iowa in a trailer house and experiencing yet another violent relationship with a boyfriend. She must decide how to get her daughter, Griff, and herself out of this frightening cycle, which leads her to Ishawooa, Wyoming where Jean’s father-in-law lives. Einar Gilkyson, a cowboy, blames Jean for his son’s death and has since experienced many tragedies. Einar’s granddaughter, Griff, plays an important role in the process of reconciliation and building back family from hardships in this compelling western.
Let Him Go by Larry Watson
Set in 1951 Dalton, North Dakota, this familial novel follows Margaret and George Blackledge, as they try to track down and bring back their grandson who left with their daughter-in-law who recently remarried. The Blackledge’s lost their only son when he was bucked from horse years ago, in an accident that left their grandson without a father. Their quest through the Badlands to Montana puts the couple in dangerous opposition to the Weboy family, who refuse to give up the child easily.