THE BIG EMPTY

by

LOREN C. STEFFY

Genre: Western / Rural Fiction / Small Town

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group

Date of Publication: May 25, 2021

Number of Pages: 304 pages

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When Trace Malloy and Blaine Witherspoon collide on a desolate West Texas highway, their fender bender sets the tone for escalating clashes that will determine the future of the town of Conquistador.

 Malloy, a ranch manager and lifelong cowboy, knows that his occupation—and his community—are dying. He wants new- millennium opportunities for his son, even though he himself failed to summon the courage to leave familiar touchstones behind.

Witherspoon, an ambitious, Lexus-driving techie, offers a solution. He moves to Conquistador to build and run a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant that will bring prestige and high-paying technology jobs to revive the town—and advance his own career.

What neither man anticipates is the power the “Big Empty” will wield over their plans. The flat, endless expanse of dusty plain is as much a character in the conflict as are the locals struggling to subsist in this timeworn backwater and the high-tech transplants hell-bent on conquering it. While Malloy grapples with the flaws of his ancestors and his growing ambivalence toward the chip plant, Witherspoon falls prey to construction snafus, corporate backstabbing, and financial fraud. As they each confront personal fears, they find themselves united in the search for their own version of purpose in a uniquely untamable Texas landscape.

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Praise

“The Big Empty” captures a moment when Big Tech seemingly promised everything. By turns funny and painful, Steffy’s story builds like an accelerating freight train, reaching a fast-paced climax.”   — The Epoch Times

“Like the titular land itself, Steffy’s novel is uncompromising in spotlighting the strains that the drive toward material achievement puts on the individual in the face of nature’s whims.”  — Southern Review of Books

Fear, greed, family, and hope play a major role in this new novel set in West Texas.

If you have never experienced the vastness of West Texas, it might be hard to imagine this sleepy little town of Conquistador. But never fear, the author does an amazing job of describing the desolate open plains and hills so that the reader can picture the setting in their mind. There are multiple mentions of the sunsets and I can only imagine the brilliance of color setting over the horizon and putting on a display like never seen before.

Conquistador is a shrinking town and if not careful, could become a ghost town. The town consists of primarily cattle ranches with a few other small businesses tucked into the mix. The largest ranch has quite the history and it is the only life that Trace Malloy has ever known. His loyalty to the ranch is a blessing and a curse to his life. It is consistent, but also, not a steady way to make a living due to the droughts, beef prices, and lack of opportunity in a dying town.

Enter Blaine Witherspoon and AZTech. The opportunities that AZTech can provide might be what saves this town. However, there are many things that the company does not take into consideration and the main one is the available water supply that they will need. West Texas is dry and you don’t find lakes or rivers and all water is derived from the water table below the surface. Since the majority of the town are cattle ranches, they rely on the water in cases of drought to keep the livestock alive. There could be a battle for what little water is available especially during a drought.

As I started reading this novel, I couldn’t help but not like Blaine Witherspoon. He thought he knew it all and what he didn’t understand is how things really work in West Texas compared to where he was from, California. His attitude really grated on my nerves. But as the story continued and certain facts were revealed, Blaine slowly realized that perhaps he was going about this all wrong, and fighting the town for the water and electricity might not be the best for everyone involved. It takes a major event for this to surface, plus some other underlying events at his company, but I grew to appreciate his flexibility and willingness to sacrifice when the situation called for it.

Trace Malloy is what I would picture a cowboy to look like with a mustache, weathered skin, and a tough mental outlook. He is happy with his life but wants more for his son Colt. However, an accident that broke Colt’s legs shatters his dreams to fly a plane in the Air Force. If Colt can’t do that, he wants to remain on the ranch doing what he knows best, raising cattle. I think most parents want something better for their children, but sometimes you just can’t alter their dreams or desires.

This story starts off with a bang (literally) from two trucks colliding driven by Blaine and Trace. They could not have had a worse introduction to each other at that moment and because this is a small town, news will travel quickly no matter the subject. Many will get a chuckle out of the incident knowing Trace’s personality and how he would have reacted in the situation. Follow-up meetings don’t go well either and Trace will admit he is no goodwill ambassador and shouldn’t be trying to placate the “homies”. Homies is a term they came up with to call those that we’re moving into town to run the new chip production facility. They were creating a new subdivision and expected it to be like one you would find in any metropolitan area with a golf course and decorative fountain. They even had gates at the entrance which amused Trace because in a town that small, no one was stealing anything from anyone. Despite the drain on the water supply, this housing development will be a godsend in the end…but for reasons I’m not going to share and you will have to read the book to find out.

There are so many storylines that bring this novel together and create a story that will resonate with many. The first is Trace’s dealings with his mother and her dementia. Knowing several people with dementia, I know how hard it is to interact with them especially once they reach the point that they do not remember who you are or even where they are at that time. Blaine has family issues with a wife that would rather be in New Jersey and comes across as very selfish. There is also his son, Brandon, that has issues of his own including drug use. How and where Brandon was raised is very reflective in an incident that culminates in a major turning point for the town and the characters. But perhaps it is also a case of how he was raised by his parents.

But this book is not without some humor thrown into the mix. I think my biggest chuckle was when the Witherspoon family attended a BBQ and brought their own food since they are vegetarians. Trust me when I say that the ranchers weren’t sure what to do with the frozen veggie burgers mixed in with their steaks, burgers, and whatever else was on the grill. I did wonder if Brandon, the son, would have preferred a nice juicy burger versus the veggie burger.

Overall, this story is a look at how life really is like for ranchers and the struggles they face, and how dependent they are on nature to help provide some of what they need to survive. We give this book 4 paws up.

Loren C. Steffy is the author of five nonfiction books. He is a writer at large for Texas Monthly, and his work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide. He has previously worked for news organizations including Bloomberg and the Houston Chronicle, and he is a managing director for 30 Point Strategies, where he leads the 30 Point Press publishing imprint. His is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and is the co-host of the Rational Middle podcast. The Big Empty is his first novel. Steffy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University. He lives in Wimberley, Texas, with his wife, three dogs and an ungrateful cat.

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