Set in Thalia, Texas, the small town that McMurtry literally put on the map when he wrote "The Last Picture Show," "Duane's Depressed" follows those of the characters who have survived into their twilight years. McMurtry brings the Thalia saga to an end with Duane confronting depression in the midst of plenty -- surrounded by his children who all seem to be going through life crises involving sex, drugs, and violence; living with his wife, Karla, who is wrestling with her own demons; and with friends like Sonny, who seem to be dying. This is McMurtry's strongest and most appealing "contemporary" novel since the much acclaimed "Terms of Endearment" -- the work of a powerful, masterful artist, with a deep understanding of the human condition, a profound ability to write sympathetically about small-town life, and perhaps the surest touch of any American novelist for the tangled feelings that bind and separate men and women.