A major American talent, Jim Harrison writes about (and from) the sparsely-populated, big sky country west of the Mississippi, and his writing brings everything around him, the land, the creatures that inhabit it, into a slow yet sharp focus. Animals occur as kindred spirits; a fine example of which can be found in the screenplay he wrote for 'Wolf'. In 'Return to Earth', it is bears that seem to carry on the legacies of men. His description of a man wasting away, before his time, watched over by his family are touching. You can no longer swallow, just the sight (and smell) of lovingly cooked food carries you on. And you fade, leaving your family to pick up their lives and find their ways forward.

To be released at Boston Bookcrossing's January 2011 meetup at the Algiers in Harvard Square - Tuesday, 11th of January, 7 p.m.