Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* With all the wit and insight of Sherman Alexie or Jonathan Safran Foer, Etchart deepens the coming-of-age genre with this novel about 20-year-old Mathieu Etchiberri, a young man who feels as if he's been raised by aliens. Turns out he has. Mathieu lives on an Arizona mountainside sheep ranch with his father, grandfather, and great-uncle, all Basque immigrants. Immigrants with such deep roots in their home country that Mathieu, a thoroughly acculturated American via school and neighbors, just doesn't get them. Worse, he resents them, especially his father, who insists that Mathieu stay on the ranch instead of leaving home to attend the state university. A sudden twist of fate seems to erase any chance of the future he desires. His father is killed in a car accident, and his son becomes responsible for the ranch. Then another surprising turn of events forces Mathieu to travel to his ancestral home, deep in French Basque country, to save the ranch and save himself from his own immaturity. This is a fine, charming, terrific story about a fascinating culture, and the value of family and knowing where they and thus you come from.--Chavez, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist
