Bone by Bone

In this magnificent novel, which is the conclusion to the celebrated Watson trilogy, E.J. Watson tells his own story, through his turbulent life, to his death at the hands of vigilantes. From his destitute childhood in South Carolina, and the terrible events which haunt him for the rest of his days, the narrative shifts to the wilds of the Florida Everglades. Here, Watson establishes himself as a successful sugar-cane farmer, trying in vain to escape his past, and the uncontrollable, vicious side of his nature which is ultimately his downfall.

Intelligent, a devoted husband and a lover, a stern father and a man capable of cruelty and cold-blooded murder, Watson is a character staggeringly real in his complexity.Bone by Boneconfronts not only the racism, brutality and entrepeneurial greed of the American South at the turn of the century but also the paradox at the heart of human nature: our capacity for fierce love, compassion and unspeakable violence.

Peter Matthiessenwas a naturalist, explorer and writer. His works of fiction includeAt Play in the Fields of the Lord, Far Tortugaand the acclaimed 'Watson Trilogy'. His explorations resulted in many fine works of non-fiction, among themThe Snow Leopard, The Cloud ForestandThe Tree where Man was Born. He died in 2014, aged 86.