Customer Reviews

East of the Mountains

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

I just finished listening to Don Hastings' reading of "East of the Mountains" and felt compelled to write an on-line review for the first time ever. Maybe it was the excellent reading skills of Mr. Hastings or maybe because it has been a while since I read "Snow Falling on Cedars" that I thoroughly enjoyed wandering and wondering through this thought-provoking tale of one man's search for meaning in his life and/or his imminent death. Or maybe it is because I listened to the bulk of the story while walking my dog in Western Washington that I felt the full significance of Ben Givens' quest, for surely this tale is a hero's quest. Ben may not be all that endearing at times, but neither was Odysseus. Guterson may have included graphic details to the point that many people were turned off by the images, but so did Hemingway. Did anyone else get the religious symbolism in Ben's venturing into "the wilderness" and in the group of "wanderers" that accompanied him as he "healed" those along the way? And what about the symbolism of "going over the mountain" from an area of lush life to a place more desolate and lonely? Those folks who read the book and were put off by the lack of "action" completely missed the point. The "action" should have occurred in the mind of the reader as he or she interpreted the meanings of Mr. Guterson's words. There is much here to consider, but it is a different kind of consideration than is required of "Snow Falling on Cedars." Give this book a try on its own merits, not as a follow-up to a major commercial success.

Special kudos to Don Hastings, who deserves mention for his compassionate reading of a difficult text.

I also recommend "the country ahead of us, the country behind" by Guterson for additional insight into the many themes that emerge in "East of the Mountains."

Like so many others, I bought this novel because of my captivation with "Snow Falling On Cedars", but delayed reading it when the air became filled with negative responses. There is a lesson here: if you relate to an author's way with a story, stay with him. Ben Givens, while a carefully drawn character in this novel, is really the creature that represents the spectre of mortality. By gradually letting us get to know this crusty old retired surgeon, revealing the pain of his loneliness, the agonies of his youthful experiences in war, his growing into the choice of Medicine, his lingering regrets for the tragedies of life that haunt him and make him choose to terminate his own cancer ridden body rather than burden his family with his dying...all these elements the author merges into a hero of compassionate understated nature. Guterson can describe a countryside, natural and unnatural vistas, draw passing characters with such clarity that we hate to see them depart at a chapter's end. But finish this book in an evening or two and you are rewarded with an understanding of why we exist on a planet populated with our own brethren.

After starting to read this book I thought about not finishing it: it didn't have near the atmosphere or universality of "Snow..". But thankfully I trusted the author and I grew into his far more personal journey. There is much food for pondering in this tender book.

It'd be hard to top Snow Falling on Cedars, and D. Guterson hasn't quite done it with East of the Mountains. But it's definitely a worthwhile read, a quiet exploration of the meaning of life set against the certainty of death, whether it comes naturally or by suicide, which is the crux of this book. At the beginning, the protagonist, Ben, a retired surgeon, has been diagnosed with cancer, knows it's terminal, and sets off toward his childhood home in the Cascade Mts for the purpose of committing suicide. Like most of us, he dreads a slow inevitable decline in which he becomes a burden to his family. As he moves forward toward what he expects will be his death, at the same time he moves back in time to his past. Like a film rolling backwards in a story that's moving forward, readers are treated to the history and analysis of his whole life, the choices he made, and how those choices continue to affect him. The odd people he meets along the way contribute to his saga with their own incomplete stories. He is yanked back and forth between life and death decisions, hard choices, philosophically faced, reasoned with, and decided upon.
Beautiful rhythm and flow to the quiet, low-keyed writing, as well.

I was utterly shocked when I saw that this book had only earned 3 stars (at the time of this review). It is hands down one of the best books I have ever read. My wife and I were about 2 weeks from relocating to the area where the book is set so that may have played a role in my enjoyment of the book

The travels of the protagonist lead him, and the reader, to consider life and death. I gave this book away after I read it only to go and buy another copy for myself. I will read it again and again.

East of the Mountains by David Guterson is a moving account of the strength of the human spirit. Ben Givens, a retired heart surgeon who has been diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer, takes the reader on a hunting trip designed to cover up his planned suicide. Though actually spanning one week of time, Givens adventure in the high desert of Eastern Washington State guides us through a lifetime of memories and leads us to a deeper understanding of Ben's desire to end his life. Guterson's style of slow and patient writing adds to the feeling that his main character is winding down, putting things in perspective and trying to make sense of a life that he can no longer control. Guterson writes with the wisdom of someone who has experienced the slow process of forced acceptance.

Through vivid flashbacks and visual descriptions, Guterson paints a picture of Given's childhood in the apple orchards along the east bank of the Columbia, the area itself, and how he met and fell in love with Rachel. When Ben is called to serve his country in World War II, he witnesses death first hand on the battlefields in Italy's Apennines, and is awed by the power of healing that emanates from the hands of the Army doctor. This experience leads Givens to choose a fulfilling career as a thoracic surgeon. After marrying Rachel and fathering a daughter, Ben is sustained by the love and devotion of his family, the power of healing others, and the richness of personal accomplishments. When Rachel dies, Ben realizes how deeply his own sense of self was rooted in his relationship with his wife; now, only nineteen months after his wife's death, Ben is faced with the onset of colon cancer. The fight or flight syndrome is even more intense for a surgeon who is personally acquainted with the process of a slow death. "Ben was aware of regions of pain so terrible, they obliterated all arguments"(p 15). Ben envisions the burden and pain that such a painful fatal illness will inflict on both him and his loved ones; he turns to the alternative-suicide. "Like all physicians, he knew the truth of such a verdict; he knew full well the force of cancer and how inexorably it operated. Better to end it now, he'd decided; better to avoid pain than to engage it" (p 4).

However, the human spirit clings to life, and as Ben Givens spends a week in the east side of the mountains, he encounters several people who influence and help him to discover his inner strength. After Ben wrecks his 1969 International Scout at Snoqualmie Pass, he nearly loses his eye and alters his immediate plans. Ben meets a couple of incense-carrying "forevers" who remind him of youthful desires and a drifter who provides him with marijuana to ease his pain. Givens encounters a coyote hunter and survives a wild nighttime standoff with a ravenous pack of Irish wolfhounds, leaving one of his dogs dead and the other critically injured. Ben tests his physical endurance as he carries his wounded pet from the desert to a veterinarian where her touch reminds him of the power in a surgeon's hands. As his journey continues, he meets a migrant worker who tries his ability to understand and comes face to face with a situation that questions his identity as a physician. However, Ben's skill saves the life of a mother and infant in a very harrowing delivery, and life begins to take on new meaning for Ben. "Things looked different" (p 264). Guterson makes us understand that even when the body gets old and betrays us, the human spirit is ageless and can endure.

Ben Given's decision to end his life is not so shocking considering the road ahead of him; however, his inner strength to find a new path toward his final passing is inspiring. In the unhurried quiet of Ben's soul, truth was affirmed. Ben's encounters with people on the east side of the mountains taught him that life is a gift filled with purpose and beauty, and that even in the darkest hours, the human spirit can reach out and touch someone's heart. Guterson reminds us that we are all human, that we do not want to suffer, and that it takes an extremely strong person to live life fully when faced with the finality of death.

As a native Northwesterner, I am always suspicious about books written about this region. So many writers don't get it right, but five a quick gloss to Puget Sount, toss in a little Mt. Rainier and rhapsodize at entirely too much lengh about the San Juan Islands.

But Guterson's got the sense of place just right. The book opens with an aging and terminally ill Seattle physician's decision to return to the scene of his youth and end his life.

I found myself gasping with recognition in Guterson's account of the surprisingly long and difficult journey over Snoqualmie Pass to Eastern Washington. The landscape sings such a familiar song through Guterson's words.

His protagonist initially displays the contained stoicism so typical of the region's Scandinavian-American residents. And like them, he rises to complex challenges, spilling forth his humanity at every turn. The protagonist's achingly difficult night on the Columbia plateau was so real that it was painful to read.

The doctor has to be one of the best fictional characters I've encountered in a long time. In fact, he is so skillfully drawn that I find myself unable to decide whether Guterson's greater gift is for evoking character or landcape. In any case, this is defintely a five-star book.

East of the Mountains is a simple story. Ben Givens, a Seattle-area doctor in his 70s, learns he has terminal cancer. Knowing the horror of the disease's course, he decides to take his life but to make it look like a hunting accident so his family doesn't have to know about the disease or that he took his life. The book takes place over the next few days as he tries to carry out his plan but is foiled, first by a car accident that ironically nearly takes his life, and then by a series of quests to rescue his hunting dog and to aid some migrant farm workers. He treats these events as diversions that interrupt but don't deter his goal, and yet there is an odd incongruity in his concern about the daily details of life when one would expect him to be letting go.

Like Guterson's earlier book, Snow Falling on Cedars, this book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. The main character, Ben Givens, is very richly described. He comes to life both through a series of flashbacks that flesh out his history as well as through the detailed description of his matter-of-fact reactions to the events occurring in the present. The other characters in the book play only small roles, and yet most of them felt real, each one adding interest to the story. Givens has a gift for portraying characters succintly through choice details. Consider this introduction of the veterinarian who helps save the dog:

"The veterinarian was a solid young woman with the sturdy hands and face of a farmgirl and thick, soda-bottle glasses. She spoke in the direct, firm way of the country, with the vigorous practicality and certainty that had remade the sage desert into fields. Kneeling in the parking lot, she examined Rex, and Ben guessed she was not yet thirty, even though her professional manner suggested years of experience. There was something irrepressibly young in her, some vague crack in her doctorly demeanor through which her private self seeped as she introduced herself as Dr. Peterson and made note of his blackened eye without commenting on it."

Beyond enjoying the characters and the storytelling, I experienced this book as a reminder to appreciate the dailiness of life, the small interactions with strangers, the minor obstacles we overcome along the way. I especially appreciated Ben's inability to disconnect from these concerns, even when it all should have seemed trivial from the perspective of life and death. I took Guterson to be saying that those details *are* what matters when seen in the right perspective.

I am surprised some people did not like this book. I could hardly put it down. I don't usually stand for much description, but in this book it just flowed naturally as part of the action. I really cared about Ben and kept reading to find out what happened to him. This book has a lot to say about life and death. Read it!

When I started this book, I fell in love with it just like I did when I started reading 'Snow Falling on Cedars'. David Guterson has a way of using words, to pull the reader into the book, and he did it again with 'East of the Mountains'. Ben, (the main character) learns that he has terminal cancer, he decides to not tell his family about it and decides to take his own life so he can see his wife again. As he leaves to take what he thought was going to be his final trip, he gets in a car accident and strikes out on a trip, where he remembers his past, present problems and the type of future he was going to be leaving for his daughter and her family. I haven't finished the book yet, but when I do, I know that I will still smell the apple fields and feel his pain everytime he does.

This is an excellent novel about a seventy-three year old widower who decides to take his life after learning he has terminal colon cancer to spare himself and his family the painful experience that is sure to come over the next few months. A retired surgeon, he plans to stage a gunshot accident while hunting for birds in the Yakima Valley which is "east of the mountains" from Seattle where he lives. He spends three days in the valley where he grew up as a boy during which he confronts other issues about life and death and reflects on some of the important events in his life while growing up. This is a thoughtful novel that speaks volumes regarding the value of life and how individuals affect the lives of others.

It is interesting to see how other people have reacted to this book in light of the success of "Snow Falling on Cedars." Second novels tend to be judged harshly, especially when people have expectations that the next book will somehow be the same as or a continuation of the first. "East of the Mountains" has a different premise and explores different issues than "Snow Falling on Cedars." Instead of dealing with issues of cultural expectations and community values, "East of the Mountains" is about personal fulfillment and the value of life. Ironically, despite the pallor of loss, it ultimately expresses more about hope than "Snow Falling on Cedars." Readers who can accept this book as its own work will find it to be a profound and carefully crafted story.