Legends of the North Cascades

New from the bestselling author of West of Here and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Dave Cartwright used to be good at a lot of things: good with his hands, good at solving problems, good at staying calm in a crisis. But on the heels of his third tour in Iraq, the fabric of Dave’s life has begun to unravel. Gripped by PTSD, he finds himself losing his home, his wife, his direction. Most days, his love for his seven-year-old daughter, Bella, is the only thing keeping him going. When tragedy strikes, Dave makes a dramatic decision: the two of them will flee their damaged lives, heading off the grid to live in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

As they carve out a home in a cave in that harsh, breathtaking landscape, echoes of its past begin to reach them. Bella retreats into herself, absorbed by visions of a mother and son who lived in the cave thousands of years earlier, at the end of the last ice age. Back in town, Dave and Bella themselves are rapidly becoming the stuff of legend—to all but those who would force them to return home.

As winter sweeps toward the North Cascades, past and present intertwine into a timeless odyssey. Poignant and profound, Legends of the North Cascades brings Jonathan Evison’s trademark vibrant, honest voice to bear on an expansive story that is at once a meditation on the perils of isolation and an exploration of the ways that connection can save us.

This book of the month and discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Algonquin.

Book club questions for Legends of the North Cascades by Jonathan Evison

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Do you think Dave is a good father? Though his actions are dangerous in many ways, does a part of you sympathize with Dave’s decision to take Bella to live a life he feels is more authentic? Why or why not?

Have you ever dreamed of living off the grid? Where would you go? How do you think you would fare?

Do you think Dave regrets enlisting in the Marines?

How do you feel Dave and Bella will adjust to their return to society?

The individualist ethos is deeply embedded in American history. At the same time, many Americans also hold it in deep suspicion. Why do you think that is? What are your own feelings about individualism?

Some parts of American culture also champion the idea of supporting our troops. How do you feel we as a nation treat our military veterans in reality?

Why do you think the author included the interview snippets from Dave’s friends, acquaintances, and neighbors? What effect do they have in the overall story?

What do you think is the nature of Bella’s connection to S’tka and N’ka?

What do you see as the common threads between the modern narrative and the Pleistocene narrative? Why do you think the author included both?

For you, what resonated as the major themes of Legends of the North Cascades? What did you find yourself thinking about the most after you finished the final pages?

Legends of the North Cascades Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Legends of the North Cascades discussion questions

“A beautifully rendered and cinematic portrait of a place and its evolution through time . . . A story of survival and the love and devotion between parent and child.”

—Jill McCorkle, author of Hieroglyphics

“Evison’s majestic and panoramic latest conjures the beauty, power, and unforgiving nature of the Cascade Mountains in alternating narratives separated by thousands of years. Evison masterfully delivers a subtle yet pointed commentary on how society marginalizes veterans and how we profess to admire yet distrust the individualist ethos while also offering a profound meditation on the human spirit.”

—Booklist, starred review

“Only a writer of Evison’s talent could so brilliantly weave the struggles of a PTSD-stricken veteran and the ghosts of an ancient family into such a powerful social commentary. Wildly original and breathtakingly big-hearted.”

—Willy Vlautin, author of Don’t Skip Out on Me

“Engaging . . . This modern back-to-the-land story feels like John Krakauer’s Into the Wild meets Jean M. Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, a combination that makes for a compelling read in its appreciation of the monumental properties of nature and recognition of the history of humans in the North Cascades.”

—Library Journal

“Under the daunting and impassive mountains of the title, two dramas, one ancient and one contemporary, intertwine to become a greater story of parent and child attempting to survive in the harshest of circumstances. For me, the heart of this fine novel is Bella, a young heroine whose courage and steadfastness are a timely reminder of how human decency can prevail in the darkest of situations.”

—Ron Rash, author of Serena and In the Valley