Proulx's main concern is with the hardness of life in Wyoming. The subtitle of her short story collection, "Wyoming Stories," indicates her interest in the dynamics of a particular place. The time of her stories spans over a century. She relates the difficulties faced by ranchers in the nineteenth century as well as the failure of modern farmers. In the conclusion of "People in Hell Just Want a Drink of Water," Proulx explicitly states her belief that Wyoming residents of today face the same privations endured by their ancestors a century ago: "That was all sixty years ago and more.

Those hard days are finished. . . . We are in a new millennium and such desperate things no longer happen. If you believe that you'll believe anything." Of course, the experience of reading her stories makes the sarcastic final sentence unnecessary. Close Range makes a clear statement that...