Wow. This was stunning. It was both lovely and heartbreaking and the writing was so evocative. This is the story of “the trapper“ and his son, “the boy“ who live a subsistence lifestyle in the remote wilderness. The author read the audiobook and while not confident and his ability to do so, did a wonderful job bringing emotion to the audio. The language in this book was so engaging - I can honestly say that I have never heard of dopamine and endorphins referred to as “mind elixirs”! Also, this passage, which I listened to numerous times: “… sat there with his empty coffee drinking the snake oil of nostalgia and looking at the cartoon pictures in his mind, with all the sharp edges buffed away, and all that’s left is just pretty lines and gentle curves. He sat with his faulty memory’s glossed version of the past. The dead lie perfectly still and they are easy to love.” Whew. Excellent. Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to check this book out.

I wanted to listen to this book, but the narrator was so awful I had to stop. I don't enjoy listening to someone panting!

Narrator 3 stars

Story 3 stars
This story was good as in ok. It read more like general fiction to me than a mystery /Thriller.

While I didn't love this book I will say first time trying this author and I would definitely try him again.

Story 3.75
Narration 4.5
Wow. This story is heart-wrenching, beautiful and highly descriptively written. I didn't necessarily connect with any of the characters but I can appreciate how they are written. And the author makes you feel how they might feel. He certainly ripped my heart out in parts!
The author admits his narration will be imperfect however, I thought this was such a great experience. The Author's Note after Chapter 2 was the sweetest thing. There is another about halfway through and at the end. The narration is so full of emotions, it is heartfelt, imperfect yet perfect. Inflection and pacing were on point with what was happening in the story.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the Listen Now Audiobook to read and review!

This was so enthralling, I love the author who was also the narrator size it’s imperfectly narrated. It’s so different from when I normally read and it was such a treat

Tom Stewart
I'm not sure that I would categorize this book as a mystery/thriller, it is more general fiction. Since I went into this book thinking it was a mystery/thriller, I felt a bit let down. I found myself tuning out while listening and as a result, I didn't connect with the story or characters.
I do think that the story was well written, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys general fiction. I think that it just wasn't the right story for me.

2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Lucky Dollar Media for this audiobook.

3.25 stars

I would first of all like to say that this might just be me but I did not care for the characters. I can tell that this might genuinely be a good book but I couldn't connect with the characters even though it was beautifully written.

Also, I did feel there were some editing issues, especially with the last few pages of the book, and the slight, or maybe ample amount of romanticization of hunting (and trapping) of animals was quite unpleasant to read.

But I do feel like it's a strong debut and would recommend it.