The Power of the Dog
Thomas Savage • 1967
Devastation Rating
masculinity Montana cruelty grief
Our Take
Phil Burbank is brilliant, brutal, and in love with a dead man's memory. When his brother marries a widow, Phil sets about destroying her teenage son with the patience of someone who has made cruelty into an art form. Savage writes toxic masculinity from the inside of its mythology. The ending is justice administered without satisfaction.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy a book through one of these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure →