The Last Catamount

Although quite short, this patchwork-quilt of a novella is ambitious. Told from the dual perspectives of a man building a hiking trail in the woods of Vermont and a hungry mountain lion, known to locals as a catamount, the author allows glimpses into the minds of both in the search for survival and contentment. Significant in the story is the presence of that catamount, as it is widely accepted that they were officially declared extinct in the area in 2018. Jonathan, long-married to Lydia and living in Vermont in retirement, comesforth in the beginning of the book, but the relationship itself does not provide a throughline.

The building of a snow trail anchors the story in intrigue, despite the general construction that is sometimes scattershot. Often the only indication of the switch in perspectives is in the color of the font. A metanarrative launches the book with a conversation among three different characters about books, reviews, and writing. Some readers will take to this virtuoso combination of opinion and story that both resembles real talk among familiars. Others will wonder if the author isn’t somehow making fun of the entire process of creating.

The inclusion of many extraneous elements, such as notes within chapters and quotes from a trail-building manual does make the story fragmented. At one point the author invites the reader to skip ahead in the book, a laconic piece of messaging that only adds to the questions raised by the organization and intent. Photos add value to the overall presentation.

One finishes this book in a tizzy. Most likely to appreciate this work is the reader who loved Melville’s treatise on whales as much as the story of Ahab. It’s easy to visualize the book in a collection with holdings on the special lore attached to the northern parts of the US.