Short stories oscillating between nature and decay; the breakdown of corporeal bodies against the steadfast bulwark of Appalachian mountains. Bass renders a noble rot via simple prose, and he accomplishes this with a true master’s touch. It is certainly a book, once you’ve finished it, that you should quickly palm off to your old man or grandfather. My grandad told me last week that the pack of fish fingers currently in his freezer are to be his last (he’s giving up being a pescatarian for good, supposedly), that he’s going to dedicate five to himself, three to his dog and the final two to the local fox he feeds every evening. One night soon, after polishing off the bottle of Budweiser he will inevitably shove into my hand, either sitting across from him in the summerhouse he built or shaded under the pergola of his well-maintained garden, I’m going to try and slip this little volume into his pocket and really sell it to him. He’ll say it’s all too melancholic. Maybe the amount of death in the book will overwhelm him, the corpses of deer, wolves and owls litter the page (even cracking open the book is tantamount to a minor genocide - and the ailing health and love of the couples within it aren’t a great deal more optimistic), and because of all of this he may not be able to see the subtle notes of muted joy, and hope, and contentment, that animate and haunt each and every one of these stories. God knows he talks enough about the pigeons and wildlife that litter his garden for me to be justified in giving it to him. I’ll let you know how it goes, and update you if the situation concerning the fish fingers changes - also shoutout to Paperbird’s vid that brought Bass to my attention, he’s a goodun. ( )

A mesmerising collection of stories set in stark, cold, wild places filled with people clinging onto, falling into and giving up on love. The descriptions of the natural world are stunning and make me want to pack myself up and go and live in the frozen wilds of Montana (despite my complete inability to survive outside of the cushiest of urban environs). My first Rick Bass book and definitely not my last. ( )

I am beginning to think of Rick Bass as a new favorite author. The stories are mostly excellent. Language and imagery is crisp and clean, characters well developed, and stories land with a lot of punch. I love how he uses the natural world within the lives of the characters. Do I really like every story? No. Do I love most? Yes ( )