Tuesday 2 June 2015

The Mountain Can Wait by Sarah Leipciger

The Mountain Can Wait
by Sarah Leipciger
Published by Tinder Press (7 May 2015)
ISBN: 978-1472223890




Publisher's description
Tom Berry has always been a loner, a man content to live out his days in the wilderness with just enough ammunition and kerosene to last out the winter. A single father, he has raised his children with the same quiet and absolute dedication he brings to his forestry business, but now he's discovering that might not have been enough.

When his son Curtis, on the brink of adulthood, disappears after a tragic accident, it falls to Tom, the hunger, to track him down. Whether he can truly reach Curtis is another matter.

My verdict
The Mountain Can Wait's vivid descriptions take the reader right into the heart of Wild Canada. I visited Canada last year, specifically Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Rockies, and this book brought back memories of Canada's natural beauty, particularly the lakes, forests, mountains and wildlife.

The Mountain Can Wait is the story of one particular family. Tom Berry is a loner and a natural hunter, spending most of his time planting trees in the Canadian mountains. He loves the quiet life in the mountains but has responsibilities back at home. He married too young and too quickly. When his wife abandoned the family home, Tom was forced to bring up his two young children practically single handed.

Several years on, his son Curtis has already left home, and his daughter Erin will soon be at University. Tom usually tries to fix other people's messes but steers clear of his own. But when Curtis is involved in a hit-and-run incident, Tom realises that there are some things that can't be fixed. Then Curtis goes missing, and Tom is forced to take a look at his relationship with both of his children. Ultimately, Tom has to learn the hard way that the mountain can wait, as his children need him first.

The story is a slow burner and not to be read if you want something uplifting. Nothing specific happens between the initial hit-and-run event and the final few chapters. Yet the book pulled at my emotions and the beautiful writing left me soaking up the atmosphere, bringing the Canadian wilderness to life.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through BookBridgr and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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