Announcing 2011 book

Book cover image“Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship is many things, but mostly it’s a love letter to our own White Mountains. Tom Ryan came to both dogs and hiking late. But late is always better than never and he has more than made up for it. For two winters in a row, he and Atticus attempted to climb the 4000 footers each twice, in an attempt to raise money for various causes. His hiking exploits are all chronicled in the book and, as mentioned before, the White Mountains never looked better. But this book is more than a hiking journal – it’s about the deepening relationship between Tom and Atticus, something most pet lovers can understand. And it’s about finding your place in the world, doing what you love doing. Of course, there is hardship to overcome and obstacles in the way, but Tom and Atticus find their way through, strengthening their amazing bond along the way.”

~Laura Lucy

Short novels

In the back of the trade paperback (Harper Perennial, red cover) edition of Go With Me, there’s an essay by Castle Freeman, Jr. about short novels, one that seemingly responds to criticism he received after the first (hardcover Steerforth press) edition was published. He defends the short novel as a literary form, one that differs from both the short story and novels. He dislikes the term “novella,” and lists some of his favorite short novels, from The Bridge Over San Luis Rey to The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

Did your book group talk about the length of Go with Me? Did some feel it was just right, enjoying the focused narrative, the brevity of the character descriptions and the limited scope of the action? Did others feel it was, as one reader put it, “the start of a great book”? Add your comment below.