The Painter

A novel

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Peter Heller, the celebrated author of the breakout best seller The Dog Stars, returns with an achingly beautiful, wildly suspenseful second novel about an artist trying to outrun his past.

Jim Stegner has seen his share of violence and loss. Years ago he shot a man in a bar. His marriage disintegrated. He grieved the one thing he loved. In the wake of tragedy, Jim, a well-known expressionist painter, abandoned the art scene of Santa Fe to start fresh in the valleys of rural Colorado. Now he spends his days painting and fly-fishing, trying to find a way to live with the dark impulses that sometimes overtake him. He works with a lovely model. His paintings fetch excellent prices. But one afternoon, on a dirt road, Jim comes across a man beating a small horse, and a brutal encounter rips his quiet life wide open. Fleeing Colorado, chased by men set on retribution, Jim returns to New Mexico, tormented by his own relentless conscience.

A stunning, savage novel of art and violence, love and grief, The Painter is the story of a man who longs to transcend the shadows in his heart, a man intent on using the losses he has suffered to create a meaningful life.

©2014 Peter Heller (P)2014 Random House Audio

The good, the bad, and the ugly

First off, I need to say that Heller's previous book, The Dog Stars, is in my all-time favorites list. I listened to it three times.

I had hoped I would enjoy The Painter similarly. This book has some of the characteristics that I loved in the previous book. It has the very excellent Mark Deakins as the narrator. It has the first person narration by the protagonist and the similar stream of consciousness thoughts. At first, I worried that I was listening to the same character as in the other book. The similarities were scary--the loner male, the abject grief, the love of nature--but soon I realized that Jim Stegner was a very different character. Good, and that is what I was hoping for, right?

Yes and no. Jim is a very different bird, indeed. Some of his personality traits did not ring true or seem to be credible. Heller portrays a man who has what could be referred to as psychopathic tendencies, yet he is a nature loving, animal protecting, introspective man. This just doesn't ring true.

Jim is also incredibly self-centered to an extent that I found hard to swallow. Yet he attracts the very best in women, selfless women who also think only of him and expect nothing in return from him. Is the mere presence of an up and coming artist and fly fisherman enough for them?

There were parts of the book that were riveting and other parts that seemed to drag a bit. I think a little too much introspection perhaps. But the clincher for me was the egregious crimes he committed and got away with and how law enforcement became almost complicit with him. Was the author thinking that if a person is evil and disgusting enough, he can be offed with no consequences? Every once in a while, the author gave Jim a tiny bit of conscience, which changed his behavior not a whit. Were we to think more of him because now and then he acknowledged the seriousness of what he had done?

I realize that everyone does not have my values, and it would be boring to read only about good people. However, for me, Jim Stegner had no redeeming qualities that would excuse his failings. I came away from this novel confused and perplexed, feeling little satisfaction.

Great again

I’ve listened to many of Peter hellers audiobooks, they all have good story lines with dramatic twists and turns.
The ending to this one is very interesting.

I missed a viable storyline

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not. Even though in Amazon books, it was given 5 stars, I couldn't see the justification.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

There was too much fly-fishing, not enough forward-moving story line. The author spoke in the first person; that was ok, but he spent too much time on visual impressions and too much time about his own feelings.

Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he was good

Was The Painter worth the listening time?

Not really, although I did finish the book

2 thumbs up

This writter captivated me. The Narrator brought it to full color! I totally Loved It.

Heller’s best

I really enjoyed this book. Great mix of character development and plot with some real tension. Heller’s writing and characters always complex deep and interesting. He likes to take his time and can sometimes go off in the weeds with unnecessary detours, but the pacing and tension of this one were just right for me. In the final scene I found myself literally holding my breath. My favorite book of the year so far, from any author.

Amazing book

This book is incredible, moving, rough, violent, thoughtful, tender. It’s full of gorgeous nature & imperfect people. Peter Heller is so good!

Sometimes crazy

When life is mean is primal man awaken?

I understood the Painter, it scared me. Peter Heller is becoming a favorite author. If you like pretty bows this may not be a book you would enjoy. I think this is Cactus and thunder.
Performance was spot on.

Majors in reflection, minors in wrestling with it

I can appreciate and associate with the meditation on one's past and the events that brought us to the present. However, somehow I didn't get a strong sense of what the protagonist felt after the many self-reflective moments that ostensibly form the emotional backbone of the narrative. It would have served to make the epilogue the final gut punch it could have been rather than the dismissive shove it became.

That said, the author is skilled at drawing the audience into each moment with well-formed characters and a palpable tension at all the right points.

In the end it feels like a Bruce Springsteen ballad: timeless, artfully crafted but, sadly, too easily forgotten; lacking the gravitas that hangs on your heart or echoes in your mind far past the initial experience.

I'm a newly-won fan of the author's distinct style and growing body of work, viewing this story in that context. I look forward to next fiction!

Fabulous

Surprised at how good this book is. While very different, it's a great follow up to The Dog Stars. The detailed and emotional description of both landscapes and paintings, as well as the process of painting and fishing are excellent. With all that there is also a murder thriller and chase of sorts. Superb narration as well.

Heller and Deakins are a magnificent pair

Peter Heller is an amazing writer. he writes the most complex male characters. they are so masculine, but have fragile and empathetic sides...they are delicate and strong at the same time. they are smart, witty, full of depth. and they are full of violence and grief and something that you just love and root for. this book made me so unsteady...it was heartbreaking and shocking and sad...

read by Deakins, his characters become real and intimate and even more honest.

i think Heller is one of the best authors of our time.