Robert Olmstead’s Savage Country

Journey back to the open plains of 1873 Kansas with Robert Olmstead’s Savage Country, his novel that follows the newly widowed Elizabeth, left bankrupt from her husband’s financial follies. Enter her enigmatic brother-in-law, who’s come to settle his brother’s debts. The pair embark on a buffalo hunt previously planned by Elizabeth’s husband, trekking through an unforgiving landscape laden with rabies, rattlesnakes and the toll-
taking task of slaughtering buffalo—offering a snapshot of American history at a time when destroying an animal population was viewed as the only path to economic salvation. Follow the herd to Porter Square Books, where Olmstead speaks on Oct. 25. / Cathryn Haight