IN THE WILDERNESS

Reviewed: Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

I had a hard time believing Fourth of July Creek is Smith Henderson’s first novel because it reads elegantly, with the practice and poise of a polished, experienced author. Henderson’s name was familiar — he won both the PEN Emerging Writers award in 2011 and the Pushcart Prize before that for his short story, “Number Stations” — but while reading this story of a social worker trying to help a young boy living in the Montana wilderness, I was convinced Henderson’s intricate prose must have been the voice of an established writer.

I was wrong.

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