The Guide by Peter Heller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am a big fan of Peter Heller and have read and enjoyed every one of his stories. Even though his settings and characters are very far from my day to day life, I enjoy the depth of character exploration and the atmosphere each of his novels has.
“The virus had mostly burned itself out and been vaccinated against, and other novel viruses had moved over the world and hit different countries more or less hard, and economies had convulsed and adjusted, those who could afford it spent more and more time on retreat in the remotest places. Like these mountains. The densest cities were still the most dangerous. And vacationing deep in the mountains when possible had become a cultural habit more than anything.”
This is the first novel I’ve read that takes place “after” covid and has incorporated one version of what the world might look like into the novel. I loved that it was part of the story but not the point of the story. The way it was woven in made it feel natural.
This is the story of a guide who takes a job at this elite fishing lodge and is paired with a famous singer who is there to fish. Even though the story contains both of them and you hear bits and pieces about the singer to pull together somewhat of an image of who she is, the story is really about the guide. We don’t really hear her innermost thoughts or her motivations much of the time.
The guide, like many of Heller’s characters, is rugged and layered and no-nonsense with a deep and abiding sense of justice. So when he realizes something fishy is going on at this lodge, he can’t not do something about it.
This book is both quiet and fast. It’s both a mystery and a bit of a character study. The atmosphere is strong both in the wilderness and in the lodge itself.
I loved every minute I spent with it.
With gratitude to Knopf and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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