I am a fan of David Guterson's East of the Mountains. As in East of the Mountains, my novel, Grey Pine, has both humor and optimism to complement the gritty, serious nature of the story. Though Grey Pine at times may seem unsettling, restless and inevitably too close to home, I believe it is just as much a calling to a world of wonder as an unearthing of human psychology and perseverance.
I was there for the aftermath of the Mount Saint Helens eruption, and that was the easy part of May 18, 1980. Based on real events, Grey Pine offers you the vicarious experience of witnessing the Mount St Helens ash fall as it takes a commanding role in the lives of individuals East of the Mountains in Washington State.
In Grey Pine, Phillip Stark, a young science teacher, watches with awe as the ash clouds blanket his yard and turn day into night, postponing his research in the same mountains as the volcano. Grey Pine weaves the violence of the eruption and subsequent ash fall with one man's battle to define himself and his environment against a backdrop of a blackened landscape, decrepit familial relationships, political tension, and personal trauma. Phillip descends into suicidal, then homicidal depression, and like the character, Ben, in East of the Mountains, he fights for the courage to live.
So, if you're a fan of East of the Mountain, read some excerpts of Grey Pine today.