True Grit - Charles Portis

It's always difficult reading a book after seeing a movie - the comparisons, either way, never hold up. In this case, however, the book and movie (both versions) can be treated as separate artifacts. In the novel, it's Mattie who narrates from the vantage point of years later. She seeks the man who killed her father and hires Rooster Cogburn - oh, I'm sure you've seen the movie. What separates the book from the movie is the murky morality - Mattie states she wants to capture the man who killed her father, but hires the Marshall known for killing to do it, I man who plans on shooting bandits in the back. The man who kills her father expresses remorse over the action. Of course the movie makes the morality clearer, but the style alone makes this a worthwhile read.