"The Englishman's Boy" by Guy Vanderhaeghe is a novel that weaves together two parallel stories: one set in 1873 in the American West, and the other in 1920s Hollywood. The first story follows a young cowboy named Shorty McAdoo, who is hired by a group of English investors to be a consultant on a film they are making about the American West. As Shorty recounts his experiences of the past, the novel explores themes of identity, memory, and the myth of the American West. The second story follows a screenwriter named Harry Vincent, who is tasked with adapting Shorty's story into a movie. As he delves into the history of the West, Harry begins to uncover the truth behind Shorty's story, and the novel becomes a commentary on the power of storytelling and the exploitation of history for entertainment. "The Englishman's Boy" is a beautifully written novel that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, and offers a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of storytelling and the ways in which history can be manipulated for political and commercial gain.
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