Set in a fictional Colorado town, Kent Haruf's "Where You Once Belonged" brings to life small-town America and the characters that keep the community together. Heavy-built Jack Burdette is quite literally too big for his boots and too big, certainly, for the small-town attitudes of Holt, Colorado. But when he fails to make the grade as a college footballer and takes a job with the local farmers cooperative, it seems he has finally settled into the rhythm and routine of everyday life. Outward appearances can be deceptive, however, as Jack proves: returning from a weekend conference with a new wife in tow, then leaving her behind and skipping town with a bundle of other folks' money. Nearly a decade later, no one has forgiven or forgotten, and when Jack reappears, resentment runs high. Once again though, it is Jack whose presence, even more than his eight-year absence, proves the most devastating.