FEATURE
MOVIE MAGIC
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane star in an adaptation of UND alumnus Larry Watson's book, "Let Him Go." Though filmed in Canada, the movie is set in North Dakota and Montana. Photo Courtesy of Focus Features
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orth Dakota-born author Larry Watson, ’70, ’72, is having a banner year. Not only did his 12th book, “The Lives of Edie Pritchard” come out in July to critical acclaim, but a movie based on one of his previous works will be released later this year starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Like many of his books, “The Lives of Edie Pritchard” is set in North Dakota and Montana. The book’s jacket description says it is “a multigenerational story of the West told through the history of one woman trying to navigate life on her own terms.” In its review, “Publishers Weekly” writes, “Like in the best works of Richard Ford and Elizabeth Strout, Watson shows off a keen eye for regional details, a pitch-perfect ear for dialogue, and an affinity for sharp characterization. This triptych is richly rewarding.”
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UND Alumni Magazine | Summer 2020
Watson originally thought the book would focus on twin brothers falling in love with the same woman, but as it progressed Edie, a woman whose good looks define her, stood out to him as the protagonist. “I just found her a fascinating character,” said Watson. “She was a small-town woman who was pretty and popular in high school and that sort of became her identity. She feels stifled by the fact that she just cannot assert an identity of her own apart from the way that others, men especially, see her. So all the parts of the novel [set in different times periods] are a part of that ongoing struggle in her life.”
North Dakota roots Watson was born in Rugby, North Dakota. When he was five, his family moved to Bismarck, where he graduated high school and attended Bismarck Junior College (now Bismarck State College). After being out
