Choteau

At first glance the title looks like the French word for mansion or “chateau.” Upon further investigation you find out that Choteau is actually a small town in Montana with a population less that 2,000 located just outside the Rockies. Considering that the author, Rick Bass, is from Montana and the story itself is set in Montana; Bass yet again effectively chooses a title that is not understandable until after reading the story.

He furthers this curiosity with the lead: “Galena Jim Ontz has two girlfriends and a key to Canada.” It’s just this side of possible and makes your eyes trace farther down the page to find who just who this character is. The two girlfriends who are mentioned get brief outlines later on in the story but are never clearly defined. They are used more as a character description of Galena Jim.

This story peaked my interest in the narrator more. There is no mention of Kirby in this story at all nor a mention what point in the narrator’s life this “adventure” occurs. It makes me want to read further and see if Bass has any more adventures that tie in the life of Kirby and this mysterious narrator. In a way I almost wonder if Kirby is Galena Jim’s son who is in jail or if that’s just a metaphor for the way Jim feels some days.

The galena road is a sharp parallel plausibility-wise to the bass in the first story; “Mexico.”

He also uses the same page breaks to separate large gaps of thought as he has in previous stories. I like this technique of physical separation of ideas.

The tone is very young and naïve much like the other stories involving this narrator. It’s like an older child when they attempt to sound more grown-up than they really are.

The heart in this story really revolves around Galena Jim himself. He is the heart and sole of the story since all of the action takes place concerning him. The scenes are all active scenes being reported by the narrator in such a way that they seem present tense and part of the action rather than just being an observer.