Jefferson Kyle Kidd and Johanna are two of the most memorable fictional characters I’ve encountered. They come together in the late 19th C. in the Texas hill country when Johanna who had been kidnapped at the age of 6 by the Kiowas after they murdered her parents and baby sister was sold by them back to an Indian Agent of the U.S. government when she was 10.  The girl was in the hands of a black wagoneer who pressed Kidd to take her back to her German aunt and uncle west of San Antonio, a 400 mile trip through dangerous country.

Kidd, a veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars is 70 years old and makes his living by reading newspaper articles to crowds in small Texas towns.  Despite knowing the danger of the trip, he feels responsible to return the 10 year old, wildly savage girl to her relatives.

So off they go through rain, floods, a murderous kidnapper, and a band of outlaw brothers, and they finally arrive at their destination.  I won’t ruin the finish by telling you how it ends, though I’ll warn you to have Kleenex handy for the final chapter.  This is not great literature but it’s a fine yarn and vividly written, and I did love Kidd and Johanna.

Paulette Jiles (April 4, 1943-July 8, 2025) was a poet, memoirist, and novelist who lived most of her life in San Antonio, Texas.  This book was nominated for the National Book Award.