East Of The Mountains

Rating:
Summary: A step down from Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: East of the Mountains by David Guterson Harcourt and Brace 1999

The beautiful and haunting "Snow Falling on Cedars" by the same author spurred me to read this book. The story line is simple. An elderly physician, Ben Givens, discovers he has colon cancer and decides that he does not want to wait for a painful slow ending but would rather commit suicide. His wife died several years previously and he does not want to subject his daughter and grandchildren to the sight of his slow death.

He plans meticulously so that it will appear to be a hunting accident. The story unfolds as he travels with his hunting dogs to where he is going to hunt. Several things happen on his journey that lead him to reconsider his decision.

The characterization of Ben is very believable and most of the characters appearing along the way are very sympathetic and likeable. (I think Guterson has difficulty drawing a truly despicable character). The descriptions of this part of Washington State are incredibly beautiful and evocative of a youth full of passion for this part of the country. Another echo from Snow Falling on Cedars is the depiction of the brutality and senselessness of war and its life changing effects.

I did not find this book as fulfilling as "Snow Falling on Cedars" and the plot seems a bit contrived. However the visual word pictures painted by Guterson are remarkable and worth the read alone.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful tale of a life-changing journey
Review: I had never been to eastern Washington state -- until I read David Guterson's loving portrayal in this rich and understated novel of a sick old man trying to lose his life, and finding it in the process. Guterson's plain, beautiful prose in this book took me to that region of the U.S. His writing here reminded me of both Wallace Stegner and Willa Cather, both exemplars of loving and meticulous portrayals of the American west and its people.

The emotional descriptions are never overwrought, and because of that they are immensely affecting. Ben Givens is likable in spite of a stubborn thread. The flashback accounts of his halcyon youth on an apple farm are just gorgeous; you will smell the crisp apples hanging from the rows of trees and feel the love between young Ben and his brother, mother, and father. In Guterson's fictional world, husbands and wives love each other deeply and unwaveringly; children and elders operate from a platform of profound mutual respect and affection. What a pleasant change from much of today's ironic, cynical, nihilistic fiction about relationships!

I liked "Snow Falling..." very much, but I feel this book is the greater writerly achievement of the two. In my view, it vaults Guterson into the ranks of some of our finest regional and national fiction writers.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, but tiresome
Review: Guterson's skills as a writer are unquestionable, as was demonstrated in his first book. However, East of the Mountains is no Snow Falling on Cedars. The writing is there, which kept me reading, but the plot is lacking. The story of a dying man on a journey toward death who encounters individuals who, *surprise*, each represent a little piece of himself was predictable and uninteresting.

One of the best aspects of Cedars was Guterson's character development and the author's subtle intertwining of those characters. This is not the case in his second book, as each character appears for only a few pages. I found myself much more interested in the migrant workers, the vagabond, and the kids in the VW bus than in the main character.

As a previous reviewer pointed out, it does feel as if Guterson rushed on this one. It's pretty good, but certainly not great.

Rating:
Summary: Another gift from Guterson
Review: It'd be hard to top Snow Falling on Cedars, and D. Guterson hasn't quite done it with East of the Mountains. But it's definitely a worthwhile read, a quiet exploration of the meaning of life set against the certainty of death, whether it comes naturally or by suicide, which is the crux of this book. At the beginning, the protagonist, Ben, a retired surgeon, has been diagnosed with cancer, knows it's terminal, and sets off toward his childhood home in the Cascade Mts for the purpose of committing suicide. Like most of us, he dreads a slow inevitable decline in which he becomes a burden to his family. As he moves forward toward what he expects will be his death, at the same time he moves back in time to his past. Like a film rolling backwards in a story that's moving forward, readers are treated to the history and analysis of his whole life, the choices he made, and how those choices continue to affect him. The odd people he meets along the way contribute to his saga with their own incomplete stories. He is yanked back and forth between life and death decisions, hard choices, philosophically faced, reasoned with, and decided upon.
Beautiful rhythm and flow to the quiet, low-keyed writing, as well.

Rating:
Summary: Sophomore Jinx
Review: I like richly drawn, stylistic novels in which the sense of location literally makes the setting itself one of the key characters of the book. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier was like that, as was David Guterson's masterful first novel Snow Falling on Cedars, a slow, painstaking and ultimately satisfying debut set in the Pacific Northwest. Here, in his second novel East of the Mountains, the author paints a very pretty picture of the apple orchards of Washington just east of the mountains, but the book delivers little else.

You know from the synopsis above the fundamental aspects of the plot. Retired widower and surgeon Ben Givens learns he has terminal colon cancer, and with his medical training he knows better than to hope for medical miracles. So he decides to pack up the dogs for one final hunting trip, east of the mountains, after which he plans on ending his own life and making it appear like a hunting accident to spare his family the grief of a suicide, and to spare all involved the horror of a prolongued battle with cancer.

Instead, his plans are set off track by a bizarre series of events, including a car accident, a woman in labor, an injury to a dog, etc. that propel him into unselfish action. The book brings him into contact with a Frank Capra-like series of characters and events reminiscent of "It's a Wonderful Life", which ultimately seemed a little contrived to me. I thought the best aspects of the book by far were his considerable reminisces about life with his brother working in the family apple orchard, meeting his future wife, etc.

There is a sense of melancholy pervading the entire story, as you know none of the potential outcomes are all that satisfying. Nevertheless Guterson on an off day is a more polished and satisfying writer than most, and I will look forward to reading his next novel. There are wonderful passages in East of the Mountains, but this was no masterpiece by far.

Rating:
Summary: The Literary Talent is Obvious But No Story Here
Review: The author of this book has wonderful literary talent. But unfortunately I found the work to be,if not downright pretentious, highly presumptuous. There was no story. The events were episodic, predictable and boring; points to be made by the author masquerading as plot. One cliche after another. Snow Falling on Cedars was much better but even those characters never really breathed life either. All the characters this author creates seem to have life happen in their close vicinity rather than that they lived.

Rating:
Summary: East of the Mountains
Review: The premise of this novel seemed interesting and the author garnered a slew of accolades for Snow Falling on Cedars (though I haven't read that work). Based on the above I thought I'd give this a try. Unfortunately I found it a poor effort. The writing is uninspiring and the plot unimaginative. If Cedars was as good as the ratings indicate, Guterson either rushed this, or resurrected something he'd written before he developed his talent and had wisely stored away on a closet shelf, forgotten. With his Cedars' success, he pulled it out to foist on an unsuspecting public. Either that, or he and his publisher mimiced his East of the Mountains' character, Ben Givens, and were smoking dupe. I made it through 200 pages and skimmed the rest. Take my advice and skip the whole thing.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book about life and compassion
Review: This is an excellent novel about a seventy-three year old widower who decides to take his life after learning he has terminal colon cancer to spare himself and his family the painful experience that is sure to come over the next few months. A retired surgeon, he plans to stage a gunshot accident while hunting for birds in the Yakima Valley which is "east of the mountains" from Seattle where he lives. He spends three days in the valley where he grew up as a boy during which he confronts other issues about life and death and reflects on some of the important events in his life while growing up. This is a thoughtful novel that speaks volumes regarding the value of life and how individuals affect the lives of others.

It is interesting to see how other people have reacted to this book in light of the success of "Snow Falling on Cedars." Second novels tend to be judged harshly, especially when people have expectations that the next book will somehow be the same as or a continuation of the first. "East of the Mountains" has a different premise and explores different issues than "Snow Falling on Cedars." Instead of dealing with issues of cultural expectations and community values, "East of the Mountains" is about personal fulfillment and the value of life. Ironically, despite the pallor of loss, it ultimately expresses more about hope than "Snow Falling on Cedars." Readers who can accept this book as its own work will find it to be a profound and carefully crafted story.

Rating:
Summary: So many feel they have so little to offer
Review: This book was my introduction to the author. It had contrived situations but the message regards how we encapsulate our lives and then regret the emptiness of our existence. This novel takes a suicidal individual out of his everyday life and thrusts him into situations where he faces life's complexities, it's frustrations and joys. In other words, he began to live again.

I read his first book after reading this, and though it was good I prefer East of the Mountain.

Rating:
Summary: Doctor Turned Pothead
Review: If this book were a news headline, I imagine it would be "Doctor Turned Pothead." It was most unbelievable to me that Ben Givens would smoke dope, hitchhike, & go to such extremes to kill himself. If he's going do suicide, why worry about whether his body will be discovered in a week or two weeks? This seemed contrived to launch us on the journey east of the mountains. I didn't relate to his internal struggle. Guterson's injects a string of characters that have little significance to Ben; so why should we care? Even at the end, he meets Bea who knew him as a boy and drives him home; so? At one point, I thought this would be a feel-good book where the doctor learns that even though he's struggling with cancer, he can still live each day and give to those around him. That point seemed to have eluded Ben. Instead, he returns home too sick to die at his own hand. The most interesting character was Rex the dog who is wild chasing the wolves and then struggles with his injuries. Perhaps if the story were told through the dog's point of view, it would have been more original. I enjoyed the ending more than the beginning. Overall, it didn't grab me. I thought the author had to write a book rather than had something to say. Taxi!