The Power of the Dog Savage Thomas (2016)

Thomas Savage’s dark, poetic novel follows bachelor brothers in a small town in early twentieth-century America. Phil and George jointly own the largest ranch in their Montana valley. Phil is the clever one, while George is the plodder; Phil is tall and angular, George stocky and silent. Phil is a brilliant chess player, a voracious reader and an eloquent storyteller, whereas George learns slowly and devotes himself to the business. Phil is a vicious sadist, with a seething contempt for weakness and a thirst for dominance, while George has a gentle, loving soul. For forty years, the brothers have slept in the room they shared as boys. When George unexpectedly marries a young widow and brings her to the ranch, Phil begins a relentless campaign to destroy his brother’s new wife, but he does not reckon with an unlikely protector. From its visceral opening paragraph to its devastating twist of an ending, this complex English-language novel holds the reader in its grip. It includes an afterword by Annie Proulx.