The Mountain Can Wait by Sarah Leipciger

The Mountain Can Wait

by Sarah Leipciger

A young man is driving home from a party through the Canadian woods when suddenly a girl appears in his headlights. In an instant, he hits her, and in another instant decides to keep driving, leaving more than one life shattered.

Tom Berry is a hunter, a man who would be most content living out his days in the wilderness with just enough ammunition and kerosene to last the winter. A single father, he has raised his children, Curtis and Erin, with the same absolute dedication he brings to his forestry business, but now he's discovering that might not have been enough.

When the police contact Tom to tell him that Curtis has gone missing, Tom knows at once that only he can find his son. Tom must come down from the mountain to embark on a journey through a stunning yet scarred landscape that ends on the rocky shores of a remote island, where old hurts will finally come to light.

A haunting story of a family in crisis, The Mountain Can Wait introduces Sarah Leipciger as a talent to watch.

Reviewed by jamiereadthis on

4 of 5 stars

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Sometimes I just wander the library, seeing what books will speak to me from the shelves. This was stuck down near the floor on the bottom shelf of the “L’s,” one I’d never heard of before, and it might as well have reached out a hand and grabbed hold of my ankle.

It was lovely. Unexpected and lovely. The story takes its own time to wander, and instead of feeling bored, I was entranced. It felt like a good meal when my stomach is growling from a long walk in the woods.

Leipciger is skillful and articulate without pulling tricks, and that was the exact thing I wanted. Contemplative and lovely. A January book.

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  • 14 January, 2019: Reviewed