Beartooth
A Novel
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3.9 • 155 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The Economist 40 Best Books of 2025 * Apple’s Best Books of the Year * Hudson Best of the Year * Kirkus Best Books of 2025 * Wall Street Journal Best Mysteries of 2025
“Skip Yellowstone for this rawer version of the West.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Readers who brave the wilderness with these mismatched brothers—and a supporting cast of eccentric characters—are in for a grand adventure rendered in rich, atmospheric prose. This outdoor thriller wouldn’t be misplaced on a shelf alongside certain tales by Faulkner, Hemingway or Steinbeck.”—Wall Street Journal
“This taut, compelling novel explores the great outdoors—and a realm of moral uncertainty. . . . A ferociously gripping book.”—The Economist
Two brothers in dire straits, living on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival in this taut, propulsive novel reminiscent of the works of C.J. Box, Donald Ray Pollock, and Larry McMurtry.
Thad and Hazen live off the grid, struggling with debt after the death of their father. Thad, the elder brother, is the capable one, while Hazen is a dreamer, more in tune with the wilderness than with people. Then a shadowy out-of-towner called the Scot appears—dressed in a kilt and with a mysterious young woman in tow. He makes the brothers a proposition that is both lucrative and a federal crime—removing resources from Yellowstone National Park, a scheme that becomes more appealing when their long-gone mother shows up, raising troubling questions about the past. A contemporary tale with a timeless feel, Beartooth explores the bonds between brothers, the natural world versus society, and what happens when everything you believed to be true is turned on its head—for worse and for better.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
An illicit wilderness caper with a big payout tempts two brothers in this striking coming-of-age novel. After their father’s death, Thad and Hazen are left with a decrepit home and more bills than their meager odd jobs can cover. A shady gig collecting antlers from Yellowstone National Park will pay serious money but could land them in federal prison. Author Callan Wink (August) captures the grandeur and majesty of the Yellowstone area with his evocative prose. His descriptions of the iconic wilds are breathtaking, and they’re matched by his captivating character development, especially with the brothers. Between a sick father and an absentee mother, they grew up too fast, with Thad acting like a father to Hazen despite being close in age. Now, they must face hard truths about themselves and each other before their last-ditch cash grab ruins their lives. Beartooth is both thrilling and thoughtful, and we were completely invested for the duration of this ride.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wink (August), who works as a fly-fishing guide on the Yellowstone River, mines his extensive knowledge of the great outdoors in this transportive novel of two brothers living on the margins in the Beartooth mountains of Montana. Thad, 27, and Hazen, 26, are deep in debt from their late father's hospital bills, and eke out an existence by logging, fishing, and bear poaching. Thad shoulders the burden of their survival, frequently overriding Hazen, who is simpleminded but extremely competent and instinctive in the wild. When a neighbor known as "the Scot," who recently killed someone for breaking into his house, proposes an illegal scheme to remove shed antlers from the national park, Thad refuses, but the Scot manipulates Hazen, who has a soft spot for the Scot's daughter, into defying his brother. Complicating matters is the arrival of their hippie mother, Sacajawea, who abandoned the family years earlier. While the narrative tension is inconsistent, Wink mesmerizes with his descriptions of nature and the men's survival skills, and he successfully portrays the brothers' humanity in their dance between struggling for dominance and wanting to support each other. Admirers of Thomas McGuane ought to seek this out.
Customer Reviews
Excellent.
A good read! Worthy of the time.