American Mythology
A Novel
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
A charming and comic debut novel about a quirky ensemble embarking on an epic quest to find Bigfoot
“American Mythology is a riveting, big-hearted novel about a group of pilgrims who encounter both the mysteries of nature and ultimately those of the human heart. Giano Cromley has given us a much-needed reminder that, if sought, wonder may yet be found in our world.” —Ron Rash, author of The Caretaker
Every month at St. Pete’s Tavern in rugged western Montana, a meeting is convened by the Basic Bigfoot Society’s members—both of them. J**e and Vergil are lifelong friends, bound by an affinity for the elusive North American Wood Ape. Their monthly meetings and annual expeditions are a tradition that keep their friendship alive when so much else about their small town has fallen away.
But things are about to get exciting for the Basic Bigfoot Society. Dr. Marcus Bernard, the country’s foremost Bigfoot “expert,” approaches them with a proposition that seems almost too good to be true: to join their next expedition, along with an ambitious young documentarian, Vicky Xu. Thankfully, Vergil’s daughter Rye is home from college, and decides to tag along in order to make sure her dad and J**e aren’t made fools of. Once in the woods, strange things begin to happen to them that seem to defy rational explanation. Is this a hoax? Or are they on the precipice of the greatest anthropological discovery ever?
A spooky adventure story and a wry and heartwarming tale of friendship, American Mythology is a fabulous debut about the power of belief and our sacred bond to nature.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this entertaining adventure from Cromley (What We Build upon the Ruins), a ragtag crew embarks on a search for Sasquatch. When Jute Ramsey was 11, he went on a camping trip in Montana's Elkhorn Mountains with his father, during which they felt they were being watched and found a massive handprint on their car. Now, some 30 years later, Jute—who holds onto the idea that he encountered a Bigfoot as a child—has formed a Bigfoot society of two with his friend Vergil. The two make regular expeditions around Montana in search of the creature. After they meet evolutionary biologist Dr. Marcus Bernard and documentary film student Vicky Xu in a bar, the group hatches a plan to search for Bigfoot together, with Vergil's daughter, Rye, tagging along. Bernard, previously known as a Bigfoot nut, now wants to prove the creature doesn't exist, while Vergil, who's harboring a secret—he has terminal pancreatic cancer—is waiting for the right moment to tell Rye, who has already lost her mother. In the mountains, the group find human stick figures outside their tents and hear bizarre whistling as they make their way toward the site of Jute's purported encounter. Cromley hits just the right tone, balancing satire, horror, and heartfelt drama. It's a lot of fun.
