River Runs Through It (Maclean)

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Norman Maclean, 1976
University of Chicago Press
276 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781616850425

Summary
This work will captivate readers with its vivid images of Montana's Big Blackfoot River, its tender yet realistic renderings of Maclean's father and trouble-prone brother, and its uncanny blending of fly fishing with the affections of the heart.

In this celebration of the river and the trout that inhabit it, Maclean writes of the river ritual that he shares with his brother Paul. They begin at sunrise and end hours later with cold beer, having fished their limit, since "to women who do not fish, men who come home without their limit are failures in life." As Paul tries to think like a fish, Maclean tries to think like Paul, wainting to find a way to offer help that Paul can accept but concluding, "you can love completely without completely understanding."  (From the publisher.)