Honestly, I think I’ve only read one novel that takes place in Texas. I guess since I live here, I usually find myself leaving the state instead of losing myself in it so completely.

The one novel was Some Can Whistle by Larry McMurtry. I must admit it’s rather endearing to read places that are so familiar to you, roads you’ve driven, sights that you’ve seen.

I’ve seen some of the movies based on McMurtry’s books - Terms of Endearment, The Last Picture Show, Texasville. I grew up in the town where they filmed that scene where Jack Nicholson takes a joy ride on the beach with Shirley MacLaine. How well did I know the Texas City dike’s petroleum-ridden waters.

In Some Can Whistle, the main character Danny Deck takes a road trip from Wichita Falls to Houston and back. He passes through Dallas and gets lost in the cul-de-sacs of Arlington, a suburb one town to the west of where I sit now, where I used to hang out with my husband back when we were “just friends” in his filthy efficiency apartment. Danny Deck drives us south on I-45, talking about how much he prefers the personality of Houston to the white-washed blandness of Dallas.

It’s a general rule that if you’re from Houston, you hate Dallas, and if you’re from Dallas, you loathe Houston. I came to Dallas by way of Galveston and Houston, so I’ve seen it from both sides.

Come on, people, now…

This entry was posted on Monday, October 16th, 2006 at 8:30 pm and is filed under US and Canada, road tripping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.