One True Thing

by Greg Matthews

Ray Kootz is determined to live a different life from that of his alcoholic father, but his dreams of a normal family life are complicated by his wife's affair and the strains of raising his son and stepson

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Greg Matthews is the author of eleven books, including The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, heralded by the Christian Science Monitor as “the true sequel to Mark Twain’s masterpiece,” and two acclaimed sagas of the Old West, Heart of the Country and Power in the Blood. He has published three books—Callisto, The Dolphin People, and The Secret Book of Sacred Things—under the nom de plume Torsten Krol. The author describes himself as “a guy in a room, writing, writing.”

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray was baffled; why would anyone want to leave this wonderful little town where everything was so simple, so rewarding?

Ray Kootz has no plans in life other than to inherit his father's successful Thunderbird Motel, a grouping of concrete tepees set off by a giant neon-covered totem pole. He is content to stay in Kansas, happy to steer a straight path through life without ever finding third gear . . .

His best friend sees joining the Marines and heading to Vietnam as a way out, but Ray is discovered to have a heart murmur. This actually suits his plans pretty well. Now it's okay to avoid all the pitfalls of living. He can stay at home and fulfill his dreams of happy domestic bliss.

He felt his chest, splayed his fingers across the left pectoral; was his heart skipping beats in there? Maybe and maybe not. Ray wasn't going to find out for sure, because this particular truth might set him free, to join the armed forces, to leave Callisto, to fuck a thousand women, burn a fiery arc across the sky.

But things don't turn out quite as Ray had hoped. He marries a guest he barely knows, and she and her young son move into the motel. Their lives turn out to be anything but tranquil.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author, and he's now making the leap onto my favorite's list. His novels always keep me guessing. In this story, there is a Holy Crap! moment, followed almost immediately by a HOLY CRAP!!! moment, and then an October Autumn surprise. I honestly had no idea what to expect next.

Even the most ordinary life is full of surprises.

As Ray found out in his search for one rock-solid thing that's true - love, a good woman, and family is . . . an accident waiting to happen six different ways.

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like quirky characters and strange plot twists read this book. All about A guy who decides to open a motel after his return from WWII. Not your typical motel, it consists of 20 concrete tepees surrounding a larger one that is the office and residence of the owners. Finishing the motif is a giant, neon lit, totem pole. The Thunderbird Motel is really only an interesting backdrop to the lives of the original owner, his son and other family members. Their lives of quiet desperation are filled with strange and unfortunate events. There viewpoints and beliefs are not typical and a perhaps even a bit psychotic. Religion, government, politics, family...is there one true thing that we can count on in life?