Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell is more than a fictional tale about the Old West, it is a masterful story dripping with sensationalism and history beginEpitaph by Mary Doria Russell is more than a fictional tale about the Old West, it is a masterful story dripping with sensationalism and history beginning in the 1880's and centered around a 30 second gun battle at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The main characters of the tale include Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Earp's family, associates, enemies and his common law wife, Josephine Marcus. The story takes us through Wyatt Earp's life and ends with his death and the death of Josephine in 1945.
Although the stories of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and Josephine were fascinating and well written, what hit me over and over again in this novel were the similarities of the issues in the 1880's to the current issues of today. To understand the United States today, is to have an understanding of the politics back in 1881, the year of the showdown at the O. K. Corral and the year President Garfield was assassinated. Some of the major issues of the time were dramatized in the novel including the political battle between the parties, gun control - or lack there of, the sensationalism of the media for profit or political gain, inadequacies and lack of confidence in the legal system, disdain for law enforcement, a vigilante attitude toward vengeance, conflict between the Mexican / American relationships at the border, political influence over law enforcement, voting corruption, abuse and discrimination of Native Americans, the influence of big business over the common good and the dichotomy of women's roles (mother or whore). I kept having the thought, "Boy, we sure have not progressed much since then. All the same issues."
I gave Epitaph a 4++ star rating. If you love the Old West and historical fiction, it is a must read. If not, you may want to try something a little bit different. Mary Doria Russell's extensive research alone is reason to read this wonderful book....more
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