Legends of the North Cascades by Jonathan Evison

Release: June 8th, 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Source: Algonquin Book Tours
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

“Beautifully rendered and cinematic . . . A story of survival and the love and devotion between parent and child.” —Jill McCorkle, author of Hieroglyphics

Dave Cartwright has had enough. After three tours in Iraq, he has come home to Vigilante Falls in Washington State. And only to find that he feels incapable of connecting to the people and the place that once defined him. Most days, his love for his seven-year-old daughter, Bella, is the only thing keeping him going. When tragedy strikes, Dave makes a dramatic decision. He will take Bella to live in a cave in the wilderness of the North Cascades.

So begins a compelling adventure, a story of a father and daughter attempting to cope with a breathtaking but harsh environment. Once they are settled in the cave, Bella retreats into a different world. It is that of a mother and son who had lived in that same space, but thousands of years before, at the end of the last Ice Age. As the two dramas begin to merge, a timeless odyssey unfolds. Thus both as a meditation on the perils of isolation and exploring humans’ indelible struggle to survive.

Perfect for readers of Peter Heller’s novels or Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, Legends of the North Cascades is Jonathan Evison’s return to sweeping, multicharacter narratives like his New York Times bestseller West of Here and is an immensely satisfying read.

About the Author:

Jonathan Evison is the New York Times Bestselling author of All About Lulu, West of Here, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, and Lawn Boy.

In his teens, Evison was the founding member and frontman of the Seattle punk band March of Crimes, which included future members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

Born in San Jose, California, he now lives on an island in Western Washington.

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Legends of the North Cascades Review:

“Legends of the North Cascades” was a beautiful, gripping survival story that also touches on human emotions and how we react when we

To begin with, the author wrote the characters wonderfully, where they are complex and make you feel many emotions. For instance, I was not fond of the way Dave put Bella’s life in danger at times because he did not know how to deal with his emotions. Yet, I could understand his reasons behind the same and felt terrible for him at times. Similarly, I loved Bella! She was my favorite character in the story. Although she is young, she is the most mature and handles situations perfectly.
On the one hand, she wants to stand by her father and be with him all the time. She is open to learning everything new about her new life. Yet, part of her misses growing up with the community and doing usual kid stuff.

Similarly, I loved how the author wrote the parallel story between S’tka, U’ku’let, and N’ka. Even though the events take place in different timelines, it was interesting to see the similarities between Dave and S’tka’s struggles. I enjoyed S’tka’s storyline, especially in the second half when N’ka gets older and the two don’t share the same thoughts regarding engaging with a clan.

Moreover, I also enjoyed how the author realistically wrote the challenges of living in the mountains in a cave. The author beautifully contrasts how breathtaking nature could be at times and how harsh it could turn out as well.

Overall, I loved reading “Legends of the North Cascades” and would love to check out some of the author’s other novels.