It is not altogether unusual, in these literate days, to come upon a first novel of artistic merit. But it is always bound to be something of an event when a first novel not only proves to be admirable on the score of craftmanship but also introduces to the ranks of contemporary novelists a new and original and arresting personality. This is what "Slogum House" does. While it is a first novel, and one to review with surprise and remember with pleasure, it is not a first book. Mari Sandoz's story of her father, "Old Jules," won a non-fiction prize award in 1935.
Geographically the two narratives are similar…. Mari Sandoz shows herself so closely informed of the life of her own country—its history, its physical aspect, its economic roots and political necessities—that a reader even slightly acquainted with the literature of the Middle West could identify not only the scene of her story but the very decade in which any given action must have occurred. Thus, among other things, "Slogum House" is a fine piece of reporting.
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