“The Bartender’s Tale” by Ivan Doig – All Curtains Raised

The Bartender’s Tale by Ivan Doig (Book cover)
The Bartender’s Tale by Ivan Doig starts off fairly quaintly and innocently, as we are taken into the mind of Russel “Rusty” Harry, an old man who yanks us back all the way to the 1960s, when he was but a boy living in a small town in Montana called Gros Ventre (fat belly in French).

He and his father, Tom Harry, led a quiet life as the latter spent his time running the bar, one some qualified as the best in Montana (exaggeratingly of course).

The summer Rusty is about to live is one full of wonder; as he makes the crucial transition from twelve to thirteen, his innocent eyes start to open up to the world, they are further pried apart by a cast of colorful and interesting characters.

Perhaps more troubling though, a woman from Tom’s past has found her way into town, alongside her daughter, who may very well be the result of a heated night that faded away many years ago.

Though the narration is essentially from the point of view of an old man, The Bartender’s Tale shows to us most things through the perspective of that twelve year-old child curious enough to explore the whole wide world. And for the most part, that’s what the story is: Rusty’s exploration of the world in which he lives.

Up until now, Rusty has been fed lies, silence, or half-truths in response to most of his more serious questions, and it is just now that he is starting to truly see things for himself, a feeling most, if not all of us can relate to on one level or another.

In part, the many characters Rusty comes across drive the story forward, and Doig did a masterful job at creating a diversified, down-to-Earth, memorable and unique cast to guide us through the transition from the child’s world to the adult one.

As a matter of fact, I feel as if they play an important role in making the mundane in the story feel peculiar and magical; their various interests, opinions on life and relationships between each other all feel fantastical to a certain degree.

The Bartender’s Tale by Ivan Doig (Book cover)
All in all, this is a story filled with wonder, hope, disappointment, resentment, love, courage, curiosity, and virtually everything else that comes with leaving the childhood world behind us.

I believe anyone who likes coming of age stories will definitely find something to love in this one.


Ivan Doig (June 27, 1939 - April 9, 2015)

Ivan Doig (June 27, 1939 - April 9, 2015)


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Ivan Doig is an American, and has been publishing textbooks and novels dating all the way back to 1972.Many of his novels are set in his home state, Montana, and his more renowned works include The Sea Runners and The Eleventh Man.

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