Dave Cartwright's, a 3 time Iraq war vet, wife is killed in a car accident. This is the event that puts him over the edge and out of his life in the small town. He takes his 7 1/2 year old daughter, Bella, to live in a cave high in the Cascades. Soon Bella is envisioning a mother, S'tka and son, N'ka who lived in the area thougsands of years ago at the time of the last Ice Age. In the intertwined stories, a major event occurs that changes their lives.
A well written, lovely, descriptive tale of life present and pass.
Read and learn.

Loss can be paralyzing and terrifying for a child, especially when they lose a parent. But if the surviving parent isn't whole, how do they become whole?

After losing his wife in an automobile accident, Dave Cartwright and his daughter Bella seek refuge from their loss and hurt, hoping to find healing on the cascade mountains. When fronting the essential aspects of survival the hope for a new and better life. It explores a child's perspective on loss and dealing with a parent who suffers from PTSD.

Thankfully this was a quick read as it has so much potential yet plants itself face first in the snow. Told from multiple perspectives with the hint that the author was trying to make it sound as if it was a documentary, interviewing townspeople while weaving the story of Cave Dave and Bella from their perspectives as well. There is also the added story of the Native people from that land which appear to Bella.

This made me angry. Dave was clearly not in the right mental state to live off grid and for that, he was neglecting his daughter. His motives were selfish and while it is clear he suffers from PTSD as a result of his marine service, compiled with the breakup of his marriage and death of his wife, he was spiraling out of control for a long while. Unfortunately, there is no depth to the characters; the entire story is written so matter-of-fact and flat. I didn't care about Dave despite his service to his country. This is not an adventure story so much as a story of despair, selfishness, and narcissism. What more, it ends so abruptly, I thought there was a glitch on my digital copy.

Full of promise, but disappointing from the start with no redemption.

This book was a slow read for me and took awhile to pick up, but I still overall enjoyed it. It really beautifully interweaved two stories of family and survival in the North Cascades — the modern day one of Dave and his daughter Bella, in the aftermath of his wife’s death, and the other of S’tka and N’ka, mother and son surviving in the barren landscape thousands of years before. What I think set this book apart was how it combined two seemingly disjointed stories and brought them together through the lens of Bella. Her innocence yet pure grit made her such a joy to read about. Nonetheless, there were points that left me confused as it went back and forth, and I struggled a bit to connect with all the characters except for Bella. I enjoyed the historical parts the most and would encourage readers who enjoy survival stories or outdoors stories to check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Being from the northwest, interested in native history of this space, with a soft spot for survivalist stories (my side of the mountain, hatchet, the great alone are some of my favorites) I had high hopes for this book. While it was at times engaging and exciting to read, overall I didn’t have the same connection to the characters as I have with some other fiction stories. I never felt like I fully inhabited them as characters. The plot was interesting, I was rooting for Bella the whole time, and I enjoyed reading the town rumblings not too dissimilar to my hometown gossip. Solid book, not a standout on my reading list.

I requested this book because I live in Washington State and love the North Cascades. I also wanted to learn more about how actual survival works, from preparing meals, to setting up a shelter, and what needs to take place every day.

Dave has served in Iraq, doesn’t get along well with his wife, but loves and really cares about his 7-year-old daughter. He decides the two of them should live in a cave up in the mountains and get away from all the unpleasantness he’s surrounded by in town.

The book didn’t deliver on what I was looking for. Instead almost every other chapter intruded with a long, Native American story, that I didn’t find relevant. The storyline turned into a game of keep-away with the daughter, which didn’t chill right with me. It was a sad commentary on life and not what I need to be reading during a pandemic. Just not my cup of tea.

The main character, Dave Cartwright, has served three tours in Iraq. He has come home to his small town in Washington state a changed man. He struggles with his marriage and finds solace in spending time with his 7-year old daughter. When there is a tragedy, Dave decides to leave civilization, and take his daughter to a cave in the North Cascade mountains to live. While there, his daughter Bella starts to channel the story of a woman who lived in the area during the Ice Age. This leaves Bella in a daze most of the time. Dave struggles with taking care of both of them, and his family in town is not supportive of his move. We see him slowly lose momentum and motivation.

I really like this genre of story and I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. In other survival stories, part of the appeal was the way in which the characters went about trying to survive. The reader learned how they set up camp, prepared food, built shelters and protections and the daily activities required for survival. This story did not have those details. There were mentions of supplies and fishing, but not to he extent that would be needed for us to understand the story and the struggle. If that isn't important to the reader, then this may not bother you. The chapters were short and told from many different points of view, so that it was confusing at times to know who was talking. I think the Ice Age story could have been connected more to the main story. What did Bella learn from that? How did it help motivate her? Instead, it seemed a completely separate story. The premise of this story was good and it kept me reading, albeit quickly to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love everything that Evison writes because of his huge, huge heart. This story tumbles from one time period to the next with wit, feeling and insight.