This is Wallace Stegner's first novel, really a novella. It is an immensely riveting and very sad tale of two sisters, one man and a boy.. It makes me realize how precious every minute of life is.
Short novel with just a few (well-drawn) characters...a farmer and his wife who take in the wife's younger sister. The inevitable happens. While the plot is predictable, the story is told with great care and sympathy. The entire narrative is totally believable - and the lasting emotion is sadness for ALL the characters.