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<\/a>East of the Mountains<\/a> by David Guterson<\/a>\nMy rating: 4 of 5 stars<\/a><\/p>\n
I read Guterson\u2019s first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars a few years ago and enjoyed it, particularly because of the great descriptions of people and places. And once again I found this book full of good descriptions, albeit they are often somewhat grisly or terribly upsetting. Ben, the main character, is finding it hard to carry on living with his cancer and is seeking to end it all. He thinks up a plan for his family to later discover his death appearing as an accident while hunting.
Ben travels into a mountainous region often used by himself and his father, when younger, and later with his grandson. Things do not go to plan, however, and various events in the mountains begin to challenge his suicidal decision as well as his hunting project. There is a frequent mention of Ben\u2019s beloved hunting dogs. Tragedy that happens to himself and the dogs keep you turning the pages to find out more. But along the way the author\u2019s descriptions of the wonderful but stark and threatening landscape help create vivid pictures in your mind. I found one or two incidents to be quite unlikely considering his circumstances, and they undermined its credibility. Still, I suppose it is fiction after all!
There are many recollections from Ben about working in his father\u2019s apple orchards, his experiences during the war and his decision to become a medical man, and eventually a heart specialist. But it is possibly his deeply felt relationship with nature, and the familiar environment, that seems to interfere with his decision to end his life. Others may read it and come to a different conclusion of course.<\/p>\n