cover image The Last Shepherd

The Last Shepherd

Martin Etchart. Univ. of Nevada, $22 (216p) ISBN 978-0-87417-886-9

In Etchart’s novel, Matt Etcheberri faces a choice between toiling on the family’s Arizona sheep ranch or pursuing his hopes of attending college. Early on, Matt counts what he hates most: “One—I hated sheep. Two—I hated the ranch. Three —I hated my father.” But his father’s unexpected death leaves Matt orphaned at 20 and unsure of his future. During his father’s funeral, Matt imagines what his small community must think of his situation: “He’s the last Etcheberri—the last shepherd.” Matt is ready to sell the ranch when he discovers that someone else, who he didn’t know existed, has inherited it: his aunt Isabelle, who still lives in his father’s hometown, a small Basque village in the French Pyrenees. Matt embarks overseas to meet his relation, blithely unaware of what lies ahead. A strained family dynamic and the strangeness of the Basque language and customs at first stymie Matt as he attempts to unravel his lineage. But delving deeper into the town and its history, he starts to see why his father and grandparents fled. Etchart (The Good Oak) deftly captures the pastoral setting, elegantly contrasting this with the family suffering that Matt uncovers. (Nov.)