The Son -- Phillip Meyer

This is a big, sprawling historical novel about Texas.  I used to love novels like this and read many of them, but that was long ago.  Now I tend to avoid long books.  Because this one was about Texas, though, I had to give it a go.

There are three narrators.  Eli McCullough, the first child born in the Republic of Texas narrates his story as part of a WPA project as he approaches 100 years of age. Kidnapped by the Comanches, he survives to become one of them, then to leave them and hunt them down as a Texas Ranger, then to become one of the most powerful men in Texas.  His story was, for me, by far the most entertaining in the book even though Eli is far from being an admirable person.

Peter McCullough, Eli's son, is the second narrator.  He lacks many of his father's qualities, and he's morally conflicted about many of the old man's actions.  About the whole family, for that matter, and he struggles to make sense of what's happening to him and to them all.  He's weaker than is father, but he has enough steel in him to stand up now and then.

The third narrator is J. A. (Jeanne Anne) McCullough, Peter's granddaughter.  Her story unfolds in her memory as she lies paralyzed on the floor of her house.  We don't find out why she's in this situation until very near the end of the book.  She brings the family line down almost to the present day.

We're tipped off by the quotation that opens the book that this is a story of decline and fall.  There are plenty of declines and falls here, and the family is in a way the least of them.   The author's research is impressive, though I think I caught a few mistakes of fauna and weaponry.  Not too many, considering the length.  If you're into this kind of book, you'll definitely want to check it out.