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St. Paul, Minn.

May 2, 2008 12:00 AM

Enger channels the old west in his new novel

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Leif Enger's new book — The cover of "So Brave, Young and Handsome," the new novel by Minnesota author Leif Enger.
Image courtesy of Atlantic Monthly Press

Minnesota writer Leif Enger's new novel, "So Brave, Young and Handsome," is a tribute to the Western. An old cowboy seeks forgiveness from his estranged wife as he tries to shake a pursuing Pinkerton detective.

And the book's narrator is a writer attempting to match the success of his first book. Enger's first novel, "Peace Like a River," was a best-seller.

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