Caribou Island

This is a truly remarkable novel that should be on everyones must-read list for 2011. Big Issue On a small island in a glacier-fed lake on Alaskas Kenai Peninsula, a marriage is unravelling. Gary, driven by thirty years of diverted plans, and Irene, haunted by a tragedy in her past, are trying to rebuild their life together. Following the outline of Garys old dream, theyre hauling logs out to Caribou Island in good weather and in terrible storms, in sickness and in health, to patch together the kind of cabin that drew them to Alaska in the first place. Across the water on the mainland, Irene and Garys grown daughter, Rhoda is starting her own life. She fantasizes about the perfect wedding day, whilst her betrothed, Jim the dentist, wonders about the possibility of an altogether different future. Brilliantly drawn and fiercely honest in its depiction of love and disappointment, David Vanns first novel confirms him as one of Americas most dazzling writers of fiction. Transfixing and unflinching ... full of finely realized moments ... Comparison with Cormac McCarthy is fully justified. TLS Mr Vanns brilliance as a writer lies in his willingness to expose everything … A writer to read and reread; a man to watch carefully. Economist Bleak, beautifully written and bitterly funny. FT If Vanns writing is notable for its capacity to render nature in the most lush, yet sharp of ways, its the emotional truth it contains that will leave you slightly stunned, such is its lucid power and grip. Vanns new novel, Caribou Island, is one of the most anticipated works of the year - and, if anything, it exceeds expectations. Sunday Business Post (Ireland) Vann, who was born in Alaska, handles conflicted feelings of love and resentment, and the raw, existential cries of ordinary people, extraordinarily well … For a few moments after this perfectly choreographed horror, its impossible to say anything at all. Washington Post Vanns first book, the story collection Legend of a Suicide (2008), earned him the acclaim of being one of the best writers of his generation. His first novel is a worthy successor. Abounding in language that heightens our senses for the next evocative metaphor, Caribou Island gives us a climax as haunting and realized as any in recent fiction. San Francisco Chronicle [A] literary masterpiece. Anchorage Daily News Surely one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of the year . . . Caribou Island is a scant 300 pages, and written in prose as pellucid as the rivers he used to fish as a boy. But it says so much: about men and women, about marriage, about the desperate gap between who we want to be and who we are Observer Vann established himself as one of the most exciting new talents to come out of America with his short-story collection Legend of a Suicide, which was loosely based around his fathers death. This first novel, set once again in Alaska , proves it was no fluke, and that he is an extravagantly gifted and moving writer Sunday Times Builds on the power - and success - of his debut, Legend of a Suicide The Times Vann, who received acclaim for his short-story collection Legend of a Suicide (2008), renders luminous prose in this haunting tale of hardened hearts and broken dreams. Booklist Vanns brilliance lies in his willingness to expose all. starred review, Kirkus