It is mid-October, 1997, harvest time in the Columbia Basin of central Washington state, a rich apple- and pear-growing region. Ben Givens, recently widowed, is a retired heart surgeon, once admired for his steadiness of hand, his precision, his endurance. He has terminal colon cancer. While Ben does not readily accept defeat, he is determined to avoid suffering rather than engage it. And so, accompanied by his two hunting dogs, he sets out through the mythic American West-sage deserts, yawning canyons, dusty ranches, vast orchards-on his last hunt. The main issues for Ben as a doctor had been tactical and so it would be with his death. But he hadn't considered the persuasiveness of memory-the promise he made to his wife Rachel, the love of his life, during World War II. Or life's mystery. On his journey he meets a young couple who are "forever," a drifter offering left-handed advice that might lessen the pain, a veterinarian with a touch only a heart surgeon would recognize, a rancher bent on destruction, a migrant worker who tests Ben's ability to understand. And just when he thinks there is no turning back, nothing to lose that wasn't lost, his power of intervention is called upon and his very identity tested. Full of humanity, passion, and moral honesty, East of the Mountains is a bold and beautiful novel of personal discovery.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: Montclair Book Center (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 234693
Title: East of the Mountains
Author: David Guterson
Format/Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: USED Good
Quantity Available: 1
ISBN 10: 0747545081
ISBN 13: 9780747545088
Publisher: Bloomsbury Pub Ltd
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: April 2000
Pages: 288

Terms of Sale

Montclair Book Center

Shipping charges listed are estimates based on the average book. If a book is especially large, or is a set of multiple books, we may request that you pay an additional shipping charge. All books may be returned within one week of receipt, with prior notification. If book is not as described then a full refund will be issued. If the book is returned for some other reason then it will be refunded less shipping cost and possibly a 20% restocking fee. All international addresses must contain a street number or the order will be returned to us by the post office.

About the Seller

Montclair Book Center

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2003

Montclair, New Jersey

Ask Seller a Question

About Montclair Book Center

Montclair Book Center has been in business since 1984, and we are the largest Used and New bookstore in New Jersey with 9,000 square feet of selling space and thousands of items in stock. We are just 15 miles or 30 minutes from New York City and certainly worth a visit.

Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

PUB: Common abbreviation for 'published'