Montana 1948 is a novella written in 1993 by Larry Watson.
It is a Coming of Age story narrated by history teacher David Hayden, recounting an incident during his childhood 40 years earlier, in which he discovered that his widely beloved uncle Frank had been sexually assaulting Native American women, including his family's housekeeper Marie Little Soldier. When David's mother Gail tells his father Wesley of this, the latter, being Frank's brother, Marie's employer and also the town sheriff, then has to decide between his conflicting loyalties and responsibilities in how to respond to the situation.
The novella contains examples of the following tropes:
- Conflicting Loyalty: The story centres around Wesley Hayden being conflicted between his devotion to justice and his family loyalty. He ultimately makes the correct choice.
- Dirty Cop: Julian Hayden can be inferred to have been one, given that he had been the Sheriff and yet is willing to pervert the course of justice for the sake of his family name.
- Driven to Suicide: Frank offs himself before he can be publicly brought to justice.
- Exact Eavesdropping: The turning point for David's worldview comes when he overhears his parents discussing Marie's allegations against Frank, and his idealised image of the latter is shattered as a result.
- Follow in My Footsteps: Wesley was pressured into taking over his father's position as Sheriff, even though he would have been happier becoming an attorney, and his wife Gail is well aware of this.
- Implicit Prison: Wes turns his basement into one for Frank.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Wes' decision to follow his conscience and pursue justice ends up not only destroying his relationship with his parents and sister-in-law but also taking a massive toll on his physical and mental health, with the subtle implication that it may have contributed to the cancer that ends up killing him.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Like his other family members, Wesley harbours prejudices against Native Americans. However, this doesn't stop him seeking justice against his brother for sexually molesting and killing his Native American employee Marie Little Soldier.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Julian is openly racist, even to the extent of thinking Frank's sexual abuse of Native American women doesn't count as a crime.
- Sickbed Slaying: Heavily implied to have been done to Marie by Frank, both to silence her and in retribution for her accusations.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Frank Hayden, who is widely adored and admired, is a serial sexual predator and eventually a murderer.
- White Sheep: Wesley cements himself as one within the dysfunctional Hayden family by doing the right thing, and his wife and son back him up. His brother is a sexual predator whose father, Julian, knowingly enables his crimes and opposes Wes' attempts to hold him accountable for them.
