Frequently there are multiple perspectives at once (one in parenthetical notes sprinkled among the other). Kesey constantly bounces from one character’s perspective to another without chapter or section breaks to clue in readers. This plethora of stories and perspectives makes diving in to the novel a little difficult. Hank and Lee are surrounded by a host of other characters, both family members and townspeople, whose stories are woven into the Stamper story like the soft-needled green pine saplings that grow in droves around the ancient giants in an Oregon forest. Lee is an intellectual who spent much of his life on the east coast and hasn’t logged a day in his life until he returns to Oregon. Hank is strong, hardworking, and prone to fist fights. The crux of the story is the broken, vengeful relationship between Hank Stamper, the oldest son of patriarch Henry, and the leader of the clan since Henry was injured, and his younger half-brother Lee. Virtually everyone is on strike, except for the Stampers who are continuing to log and jeopardizing the whole strike, for no reason except that they’re renegades like that. The novel tells the story of Wakonda, a fictional logging town on the Oregon coast.

The setting is soggy and green, with big trees and beer drinking – just like a real Oregon winter. The characters are exceptional they’re stubborn and angry and very much alive. It’s long and meandering, overflowing with detail. Sometimes a Great Notion is a great American novel if I’ve ever read one (and I’ve read a few).

Sometimes a great notion book