The Painter

Art. Murder. Guns. Fly-fishing. Tragedy. All these elements make up The Painter –  a thriller about a rebel painter with a cause who possesses a deep appreciation for the outdoors. More specifically, the Colorado outdoors. Written by bestselling author Peter Heller, the book centers on Jim Stegner – a rugged, renegade artist who loves fly-fishing as much as he hates people who hurt animals or the people he cares about. He also despises anyone who underestimates him.

Because of his reactionary nature, Stegner finds himself in situations where his heart is in the right place but his actions quickly escalate to violent. In fact, some would say he goes too far as he is calculated but not necessarily careful. Stegner punishes those who deserve it whether he’s on the right side of the law or not. He is a person with a sensitive trigger (he goes from calm to violent in seconds) but also has a deep appreciation for the smallest and simplest details of the beauty around him. He’s a juxtaposition in and of himself. But what’s interesting is that Stegner is definitely our protagonist because he is smart, thoughtful, observant, and means well. Also, it’s hard not to empathize with him as he has endured the type of tragedy that is every parent’s worst nightmare.

From a writing standpoint, Heller does an excellent job of creating short, swift, Hemingway-esque sentences to get his character’s personality across and maybe even his own. The ways he describes the western landscapes are gorgeous, poignant, and accurate. I even learned a few things – for example, virga is rain that disappears before hitting the ground. On another writing style note, dialogue is tough to write and good dialogue is even tougher but Heller is a master of it which definitely contributes to the rapid pace of the story – in the best way possible.

Anyone who has ever spent time in Colorado or Santa Fe will recognize many of the places and descriptions Heller namechecks throughout the story. That being said, you don’t have to be a Colorado or Santa Fe afficianado to appreciate what Stegner sees because the writing is that good. In terms of plot, I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that The Painter is not about redemption. Instead, it’s more about realization, acceptance, and moving forward. Stegner is reckless but also self-aware, reminding the reader that human emotion is incredibly fascinating.

Quotes:

“I cannot put a name to the hatred.”

“Nothing ever happens just how you want it to.”

“Life does not get less strange.”

“I am not at all a simple person but I like simple people, I admire them.”

“I don’t know if truth is beauty or not but I have always put my stock in beauty every time, the real thing, the one that comes with cold rain and hard stories, and I had never seen a place like this.”

“He said it was like he was confessing something.”

“He was adjusting to the new information, taking his time. He was a fisherman.”

“It was like the words would be whatever they would be but the tone underneath was speaking a truth no one could alter.”

“I saw that like a stroke of bad lightning and it conjured a rage that shocked me.”

“I noticed that most country people hail you from a decent distance, city people wait till they’re right up in your face.”

“It seems terribly brave. Or reckless?”

“The man wore lizard cowboy boots which were disconcerting.”

“She wore her hurt in a bewildered half smile.”

“His candor landed on my shoulder like a lost bird.”

“A man who burns down another man’s barn, a barn full of horses, seemed capable of most things.”

“Not sure I’d ever met anyone who could telegraph so many battling emotions at once.”