Philipp Meyer’s sweeping American epic, ‘The Son’, covers over one hundred years of family history – taking us on a journey from the wild frontiers of Texas to the turn of the twenty-first century.

As a young boy living on the frontier, Eli McCollough sees his family murdered in front of him and is taken captive by the local Comanche tribe. Against the odds, he thrives, becoming like an adopted son to the chief. He learns to live off the land, working hard and learning the value of everything. When his tribe is decimated, he has no choice but to return to the more civilised life of the white men, but struggles to fit in and rails against society. Having nothing at all to his name, Eli joins the Texas Rangers – a brutal and dangerous life. In the aftermath of the civil war, Eli takes the opportunity to carve out his fortune. He forges an empire that will last for years to come by milking everything that the land can offer, and by acting brutally and swiftly against anyone that might hinder his progress.

His son, Peter, is intrinsically aware that he and his father are cut from different cloths. Peter sees first-hand how the McCollough’s profit from the misfortune of others. He struggles to come to terms with the imbalance of power and wealth in his hometown. In an atmosphere that’s highly charged with racial tensions, others around him need only the slightest excuse to react with violence and claim with force what does not belong to them. Continue reading →