News of the World by Paulette Jiles

 genre: historical fiction

When Captain Kidd hears of a 10 year old girl who needs to be returned to her family, he knows he should just let it go.  This girl, who was orphaned by the same tribe of Kiowa who then kidnapped her and held her for four years, is not just wild but clearly somewhat broken.  And Captain Kidd is an old man, spending his last year traveling from small town to small town and reading the news out loud to anyone who is interested and has a dime to contribute.  Why in the world would he take on the task of traveling hundreds of miles to deliver a child to her unaware relatives?

We figure out the answer to this question as we get to know Jefferson Kidd along this brutal and perilous journey.  Backwoods Texas during the Reconstruction period was a lawless place and traveling with a child is less than ideal.  But this child, Johanna, will prove herself up to the task - if she's not running away from him or fighting tooth and nail all the trappings of civilization.  In a country on the brink and with the experience of one old man guiding the way, the trip to return Johanna is one that is full of both desperate pain and so much heart.

I loved this.  I fell in love with Johanna and, in another way, with our fearless Captain.  And actually, "fearless" is the wrong word because there WAS fear, there was doubt and there was resignation and outright fierce anger at his own decisions.  And YET.  The way their relationship evolves and the wit and resourcefulness it takes to survive, seeing the world through both of their eyes is a lovely and marvelous thing.  The pacing is good, the setting is solid and I love journey stories with unlikely companions.  The idea of being stolen away to a completely different and foreign culture - then being brought back and having to readjust to what was once second nature - this is fascinating and so upsetting at the same time.  While I am not usually a "wild west" book kind of person, this one has vibes of the movie True Grit, which I really did enjoy.  I'm looking forward to our book group discussion.