Jackalope Dreams

In Blew's commendable fiction debut, Corey Henry is fired from her Montana middle school teaching job after striking a taunting student, 13-year-old Ariel Doggett. Heading into her 60s with diminished hopes, Corey faces further trials when her 80-year-old father, a decorated WWII vet and former rodeo star named Loren, commits suicide. Then Ariel's opportunistic father, Hailey Doggett, sues Corey for assaulting his daughter and turns out to be a lot more than merely greedy. Corey's lifelong passion to paint helps keep her grounded during the strife. When the tables turn on the Doggetts, Corey has a further role to play in their lives. Corey's imagined arguments with her late curmudgeonly dad, who has his disenchanted say on the condition of present-day Montana, slow things down, but Blew's distinctive narrative voice and knack for description keep the story on track. (Mar.)