Maxim Loskutoff

Smart, Original and Completely Absorbing

A richly observed tale spiked with survival and violence, rough justice, and love.

The reader meets Ruthie Fear when she is six years old and follow her up until her early thirties as she battles her inner demons on what type of life does she want to live as her home in the Bitter Root Valley, Montana is battling its own demons of progress versus preserving the present.

The plotting is intricate, the characters are well drawn and the pace never lets up as there are natural and man-made disasters to provide the tensions between people as they attempt to survive and thrive.

This tale of the American West is complexly layered and provides no easy answers as I pondered what would I do in the various situations.

But, if for no other reason, read this book for the spectacular landscape writing.… (more)