“The Painter” by Peter Heller – An Artist's Retribution

Stories of people who end up being prosecuted for committing actions which are regarded as morally correct and yet illegal are something we are attracted to for one simple reason: the good one's relentless fight against what seems like unstoppable evil is a source of inspiration, and perhaps even serving as a confirmation of our widespread belief that the world wasn't and never will be a just place.

It shouldn't be surprising that the archetype has spread like wildfire through literature and has remained a rather attractive subject for countless years now; there's just nothing like a good old-fashioned revenge story fueled by injustice and unfairness.

As it happens, The Painter by Peter Heller ventures deep into this territory, telling the story of Jim Stegner, a man who lost two wives through divorce, his daughter to violence, and his freedom until very recently for shooting a rather dangerous individual in a Santa Fe bar.

Needless to say, Jim's plans to lead a quiet life away from his old one as a simple artist are derailed drastically one day as he comes across a notoriously-brutal hunting guide beating on a small horse. Jim takes matters into his own hands and ends his life, prompting the police as well as the man's next of kin to go after him.

Of course, this forces Jim all the way back into his old life in New Mexico, and all the dark impulses he hoped to have left behind forever.

Though The Painter may sound, premise-wise at least, like your average, run-of-the-mill thriller with a relatively exciting plot, I believe that it goes above and beyond that. First of all, yes the revenge story does take center stage, and the themes of justice, injustice, righteousness and retribution are omnipresent throughout the whole thing.

As much as the showcase of violence may be impressive and enthralling, there is a lot more to the book, with the best way to put it, in my opinion, being that half of it is more about peace as well as various musings about art.

You see, Jim is an artist himself, one who paints tenaciously and lets that aspect pour over into his life perspectives. In other words, as much as there may be action and perhaps some cliched stuff to this book, there is just as much depth to it in terms of food for thought.

When these two opposing aspects combine together it really makes for a book that is more than the mere sum of its parts. It actually gives us a unique kind of story, the one that manages to move us on many levels and can even take a little while to sink in after.

Yes, there are some minor flaws to this novel here and there, but these shortcomings are rather negligible in my opinion, for the reasons mentioned above and just how well the story carries itself and allows the reader to become immersed in it.

The characters, thoughts, environments, actions, events, and everything you can imagine is described in a beautiful, elegant and vibrant prose, the kind that could perhaps be dubbed as art in itself, or a painting made from words.

All things taken into consideration, thrillers are a dime a dozen these days, but there aren't so many capable of touching the reader on a number of different levels all while providing an enthralling and engaging narrative that can keep you on the edge of your seats, not like The Painter can at least.

If you are looking for a thriller that goes above and beyond what's usually offered in the genre, this book would be a good place to look.

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Peter Heller Personal site Peter Heller is an American author known for his extensive work as a contributing editor to numerous magazines, including Outside Magazine, National Geographic, and Men’s Journal. He won the National Outdoor Book Award for Literatuer for his memoir titled Kook, in addition to which he also wrote some recognized novels including The Dog Stars, The Painter and The River.