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Sonny Lamb had never accomplished much of anything as a rancher near Fort Davis in West Texas, in fact, far closer to ne’er-do-well than ambitious overachiever.
For instance, who would take his stud bull to market only to buy him back because he was so attached to him? Sonny Lamb, that’s who, in a transaction that led to plenty of ridicule around town. A new joke on the town’s punchline, whose ranch and marriage are both going broke.
However, Sonny is also the guy who saves the neighbor’s daughter and her horse in a fire late one night. That act of heroism just happened to coincide with the recent death of the area’s state representative and a lobbyist in town looking for a replacement.
What better candidate than a young and handsome hero? Make that a young, naïve, and handsome hero who can be counted on to vote the way lobbyist J.D. Sparks wants him to vote.
That is the backdrop to Mr. Texas, Lawrence Wright’s fictitious modern-day “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” but set, of course, in Austin, the state capital.
Wright, who lives in Austin, is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a playwright, and a screenwriter. He is the best-selling author of a novel, The End of October, and 10 books of nonfiction, including Going Clear, God Save Texas, and The Looming Tower, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
This book goes on sale in October.
Finally convinced to take a dark-horse stab at it — and at the very real risk of his personal life — Sonny wins a seat in Austin, beating a more qualified candidate with the help of some of J.D.’s dirty tricks.
He goes to Austin with ideals, a vision to make life better for his constituents, namely through a plan considered pie in the sky to save the livelihood of ranchers in his little corner of Texas by bringing desperately needed water to the area.
Reality, though, is why the author presumably gave his protagonist the last name of “Lamb.” When Sonny gets to Austin he is, like a lamb, vulnerable to predators, not to mention bad headlines, and the dreaded freshman appointment, assignment to the Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee. But, at the same time, like a lamb, Sonny is also cleverly adaptable to his new surroundings, and in the end sits at the precipice of power in the Texas State Capitol with an opportunity, an actual opportunity, for real change in service to his state.
Wright’s is a funny roller-coaster ride about Sonny’s pursuit of doing good in Austin. It, of course, is much easier said than done, walking the tightrope of weighing his own ethics and environmental concerns against the wishes of veteran politicians, savvy lobbyists, and even his own party.
Add to that a personal life in disorder and an opportunity to meet new people in Austin, and you have a tome that is Facebook complicated.
Four stars for Mr. Texas.
Mr. Texas
By Lawrence Wright