I recently learned that actor Paul Dano made a film adaptation of Richard Ford's 1990 novel Wildlife. I am a fan of Ford's and since it is a short novel (177 pages) I decided to read it before seeing the film. First off I was struct that the novel takes place in the Inland Empire of the Pacific Northwest-specifically Great Falls, Montana-however other familiar places are mentioned: Spokane, Washington and Sandpoint, Idaho among others. The story is told from the point of view of teenager Joe Brinson in the year of 1960 when wildfires are threatening the city. His family has recently moved there to try and make a new start, but things begin to unravel when his father loses his job as a golf pro at the local golf course. His wife takes up some jobs, starting out as a swim instructor and later a s a book keeper for Warren Miller, a wealthy local businessman in which she becomes involved with. His father becomes obsessed with the fire and leaves the family to fight the fire despite his wife's objections. It is the story of the dissolution of a family told from the point of view of boy not yet a man trying to make sense of his parents as people as well as come to terms with the ever changing world that comes undone. I look forward to seeing how Dano portrays the story.
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