It is summer and the Canadian Rockies are on fire. Fleeing the fallout of a failed relationship, Alan West returns to his grandfather's home in the Kootenay Valley. Cecil West, an old man confronted by his own mortality, asks Alan to track down his son, Alan's father, so that Cecil can make his peace with him. And so Alan begins his search for Jack West: a man who skipped town before Alan could walk. His quest will lead him to Archer, an American soldier who long ago went AWOL across the border. The young man and the old soldier set off on a reckless journey. What they find will change their lives forever.

“A lean, powerful book about quiet, emotional people” –   Guardian

“Wilson’s prose is rich and nuanced” –  Sunday Telegraph

“It’s Wilson’s voice that is outstanding, both raw and erudite” –  Vogue, Best Beach Reads

“Bracing, even breathtaking” –  New Statesman

“Flinty, hard-edged prose ... Wonderfully tense ... There’s no doubt that Wilson can write” –  Independent on Sunday

“It certainly packs a manly punch” –  Daily Mail

“Wilson’s debut novel ... Provides all the macho behaviour expected of its title – shooting, hunting and grunting abound – but this is softened by the philosophising of Alan and