The Tie That Binds

By: Kent Haruf

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

From the best-selling author of Eventide, The Tie That Binds is a powerfully eloquent tribute to the arduous demands of rural America and of the tenacity of the human spirit.

Colorado, January 1977. Eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough lies in a hospital bed, IV taped to the back of her hand, police officer at her door. She is charged with murder. The clues: a sack of chicken feed slit with a knife, a milky-eyed dog tied outdoors one cold afternoon. The motives: the brutal business of farming and a family code of ethics as unforgiving as the winter prairie itself.

Here, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of a woman of the American High Plains, as told by her neighbor, Sanders Roscoe. As Roscoe shares what he knows, Edith's tragedies unfold: a childhood of predawn chores, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. Here is the story of a woman who sacrifices her happiness in the name of family - and then, in one gesture, reclaims her freedom.

©2010 Kent Haruf (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An impressive, expertly crafted work of sensitivity and detail.... Powerful." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

"[A] fine first novel that dramatically and accurately explores the lives of people who work the land in the stark American Middle West." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"Kent Haruf writes so wonderfully...His characters live, and the voice of his narrator reverberates after the last page: humorous, ironic, loving." ( The Christian Science Monitor)

Loved this book!

This was an Amazing Story and an amazing performance. I highly recommend listening to it.

stupendous narration

gravelly breaking voice so devastatingly appropriate to the narrator. among the best I have heard.

Pretty Dark

I love Kent Haruf, but this one is so dark and so graphic that the beauty of the perfectly honed language, the delicate (though sometimes stark) observations for which he is noted can only infrequently shine through. I found myself skipping ahead again and again so as not to get sucked into a negative funnel, and finally gave up. Really a shame, because I consider Haruf a totally superb writer.

Good narration

Very descriptive characters. The ending left me wanting to know more. As if it were a true story.

Wonderful novel.

The characters were the heart and soul of this fine novel. The detail with which the feelings are drawn and the plot enhances make for a powerful description of some fine people. Despite the sadness, the difficulties endured with selfless devotion highlight fine qualities some special people have that are not altered by their suffering .

Kent Haruf delivers

If you're looking for fluff with a happy ending, don't bother! However, if you're inclined to read about loyalty, persistence and an all-encompassing sense of obligation, you should read this book, or listen to it. Excellent character development and storyline! I once read it and have now enjoyed the audio version.

Couldn’t stop listening

This is my least favorite of Kent Haruf’s books. It’s too dark. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop listening until the end. Good writing is a pleasure to listen to.

Breakout freshman novel

This is a very well read performance of a softly-gripping tale told over hot drinks on a spring Sunday in Colorado.

Sweet Story

Worth the listen. Great narration. Glad I listened to it. Not a usual story as it is told by the neighbor who is her friend.

Something Like, Our Town, Meets watching Paint Dry

You know it’s bad when, in an effort to find something good to say, you settle on narration.. I get it, the author wanted to emphasize, and draw out the disparate quality of the town and one of the characters. Setting and character development matter. Still I’d argue that having a plot ought to count for something.