This is a suspenseful novel about two brothers living on the edge of poverty in the shadow of Yellowstone National Park. Really enjoyable and a quick read/listen.

Loved this story of two brothers in limited circumstances , trying to come out ahead and the assumptions you make about family . One brother underestimates the other leading to disaster and clarity.

This had a lot of great parts overall. I was enthralled with the story. The characters didn’t relate to me as well as I had hoped but I will definitely pick up further works from this author.

Beartooth was great. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the characters, I loved the storyline. It was alllllll good.

Beartooth is a raw, visceral novella that immerses you in the rugged wilderness of Yellowstone National Park. Wink’s writing is vivid and cinematic, capturing the harsh beauty of nature and the complicated bond between two brothers caught in crime and survival. While the prose is strong, the story feels somewhat unfinished—leaving questions unanswered and threads untied. Still, it's a haunting, atmospheric read that lingers long after the last page. I will definitely be suggesting this one to my literary fiction readers!

This was a taut, brilliant crafted, edge of your seat thriller that had me reading long passed by bedtime! Highly recommended and an incredibly confident debut that promises lots more to come.

The writing in this book was so visual. Wink is a great writer. However, I feel like this story ended without wrapping things up, and there was so much more I wanted to know throughout. Could have added more to this book.

This is a well-written literary novella set in and near Yellowstone Park. It is about two brothers involved in poaching and other crimes, and the bond they share. The raw description of their adventures in the park is very real and vivid. Mistakes, and brokenness, are summed up so well in this quote from the novel: "It's random, but occasionally broken pieces find themselves sticking together, and if this occurs an infinite number of times, don't you think at at some point everything will be one big smooth piece again?"

Highly recommend to fans of literary fiction.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

It took about the first quarter of the book before the story seemed to really get started, which was too long given that it's a pretty short book.
It began picking up when two brothers, cash-strapped and desperate, agree to steal from Yellowstone National Park, and find themselves in trouble when plans go awry.
However, it ended more like a short story, which is to say kind of abruptly with too many loose ends. I usually avoid short stories just for this reason.
Thanks to #netgalley and #spiegelandgrau for this #arc of #beartooth in exchange for an honest review.

Title/Author: Beartooth by Callan Wink

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau

Format: audiobook on hoopla
https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobo...

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: first time

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978195411...

Release Date: February 11, 2025

General Genre: Popular Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers & Crime, Literary Fiction, Popular Fiction

Sub-Genre/Themes: Ancient American West History, Family dynamics, Brothers, Loneliness, Yellowstone Park, survival, rural living, poverty, Mothers & sons, grief, crime

Writing Style: compelling, emotional, sparse, intricately plotted, character-driven

What You Need to Know: "Two brothers in dire straits, living on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival in this taut, propulsive novel reminiscent of the works of Peter Heller and Donald Ray Pollock."

My Reading Experience: This book is totally outside my usual go-to genres but I have a seriously obsessive affection for well-written stories about brothers who get caught up in something bigger than themselves. Thad and Hazen, both in their late twenties, live near Yellowstone Park, off the grid in their family home. They are struggling to survive with only their father's firewood cutting/delivery service accounts and living off the land.
I loved the dynamic between the two brothers and later, their flighty/estranged mother when she returns to squat on their property in her trailer. The underlying sense of dread made my heart invest in Thad and Hazen so much, it was painful. As soon as The Scott showed up offering some risky deal to make money, I had the worst feeling something bad would happen.
The story is full of wisdom and the author-asides about guilt, loneliness, obligation, brotherly love, pain, and forgiveness. One of my new favorite audiobooks--I always looked forward to my walks so I could listen to this story. I need more just like it.

Final Recommendation: Recommended for readers who enjoy a wilderness setting, deeply emotional family ties/brotherly relationships, strong writing, compelling story, and well-developed characters with distinct personalities and backstories that you helplessly fall in love with.

Comps: To Carry a Body to Its Resting Place by C. S. Humble, The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock, David Joy books

Look for my review at The LineUp next month

There’s a deep contrast between the stark beauty of Callan Wink’s writing and the visceral nature of what he describes at times in his sublime new novel Beartooth.

A literary rural noir centred on the (mis)adventures of a pair of backwoods brothers, we initially meet Thad, the relative brains of the duo, and younger Hazen, the intuitive one, as they’re elbows deep in an eviscerated bear. Freshly poached, emitting smells “with a flavour of nightmare”; the brothers are willing to get bloody as they grasp for the golf-ball sized gall bladders that can bring in as much cash as ten truckloads of firewood.

But how much would they risk in order to preserve their family home and way of life? Initially Thad doesn’t entertain the notion put forward by their menacing buyer, ‘the Scot’ to surreptitiously enter Yellowstone National Park to harvest elk antler sheds. Federal land and felony crimes = big time prison time. But as things worsen, Thad and Hazen must make some tough choices, that could have deadly consequences.

Those who enjoy ‘grit lit’ are likely to love Beartooth. It’s an atmospheric, vivid and finely crafted tale of family relationships, desperation and death set against a ruggedly magnificent backdrop. Wink, a fly-fishing guide in Montana as well as literary starlet, expertly soaks readers in “nature, red in tooth and claw”. Compact and powerful.

[This review was first written for publication in Good Reading magazine, in Australia]

What happens when a heist goes wrong?
Beartooth is about two brothers, the bond they have and the crime they are persuaded to commit in Yellowstone National Park. This was such a well written book and I could not stop turning pages until the end. I look forward to reading other books from this author. All of the characters in this were wonderful. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any reader who loves fiction or mystery reads. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for this read in exchange of my honest review of Beartooth by Callan Wink.

This short little book is probably the most visceral I've ever read. It felt like I was THERE in the woods with them. Every detail was distinct, down to smells and feelings.

Taking one star off for the fact that we never find out what happened to the brother?? That was an odd thing not to bring full circle.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beartooth by Callan Wink is a astonishingly descriptive and beautifully written account of working-class life in Montana. The measured pace wasn't always what I wanted but the writing made up for it. I loved this book!

A quietly unnerving tale of two brothers trying to survive in the area outside Yellowstone. The writing is lush, with incredible descriptions of the landscape and its seasonal shifts. It's a story strongly tied to the land and the animals who share it, and the dark side of man who can't seem to share it back.

This book was so many things: part thrilling adventure, historical reflection, coming of age, Jack London but present day. I enjoyed it. It's very character driven. I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book but believe it was more family drama, literary fiction and coming of age with a hint of mystery than a “thriller” per say. The descriptive writing and images of the setting were excellent.

An interesting, well written story, I loved the way the boys were written, as self-sufficient men of the woods types with their own issues. However it took me a really long time to finish as the story just wasn't my personal cup of tea.

Thank you Spiegel & Grau for allowing me to read and review Beartooth, a novel, by Callan Wink on NetGalley for an honest review.

Published: 02/11/25
Stars: 4.5

Originally my one word opinion was captivating; however, the more I thought about it bewitching became more accurate. Beartooth is a beautifully written story. Time stopped around me once I started reading. I loved every second. The synopsis is on point, there is no need to repeat it.

Wink has taken the characters, their problems, and their lives and dropped me in. There were times I wanted to interject my voice in a conversation. Other times I was a spectator. I stayed glued to my seat comfortably and was thoroughly satisfied with the ending.

I can't recall if there is profanity.

Today I find myself tearing up, smiling and wanting to reminisce with the story again.

This will make a nice basket gift with the book, cheese, and wine.

I'm looking forward to exploring other works by the author.

4.75/5 stars

I'm so glad I read this book. I went in kind of "iffy", not knowing what to expect. A family drama? A woodsy (perhaps dangerous) adventure? The truth is it contained both of those things with some added depth that made it linger with me after I'd finished reading it.

The author did a good job with the descriptive writing regarding the location which is set off the grid in the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains just on the cusp of Yellowstone. I easily visualized the rural cabin and surrounding woods as well as the activities the brothers (Thad and Hazen) must accomplish to survive while also trying to pay overdue bills since their father's death.

Thad (the eldest) and Hazen were the main focus for me, and their interactions, both good and bad, were the meat of the story. This is not a fast-paced story (though it is on the shorter side). It's a dysfunctional family drama revolving around the relationship dynamics between the brothers, their similarities and differences and a little delving into their basically non-existent relationship with their mother who makes a sudden appearance during the story.

This is one of those settle back and savor sort of books. Beautiful writing, poignant story, some laughing and perhaps some crying. The ending was a bit cryptic, but also understandable as it went with the feel of the story itself.

Very nicely done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Spiegel and Grau for providing the free early arc of Beartooth for review. The opinions are strictly my own.