Beartooth is beautifully written and atmospheric. At first I wasn’t sure if there was enough of a story here, but, it creeps up on you, a powerful story of shifting family dynamics, set against a backdrop of precarity and loss.

Beautifully written! I would say this is more literary fiction than the mystery/thriller it is marketed as, which I’m definitely not complaining about.

I loved the imagery of Yellowstone and the surrounding areas, this book somehow made camping sound appealing. The quiet, hard, but simple, existence of living off the land in the American West is easy to glamourise, it all sounds so idyllic; but the reality of the lives of Thad and Hazen was a grim little peephole into the desperation of small town poverty.

It could have been longer but I liked the ambiguity of it, an enjoyable short read.

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thad and Hazen, are adult brothers living off the land in the timber house their grandfather build bordering Yellowstone. They are not totally off grid, but dang close. They make money cutting firewood, but the debts have risen since their father died after a long illness. To find the money for hospital bills and taxes they poach bear organs to sell for aphrodisiacs. “The Scot” is their connection to this black market and approaches them with a deal to steal artifacts/resources from Yellowstone. Harrowing escapades ensue. Good story, writing, and character development, though I have obvious ethical problems with the killing/poaching and disapproving of the theft of found objects on National Park land. Was disappointed that there was not more character resolution for Hazen, their mother (Sacagawea), and the girl.

I loved August and think Callan Wink is a very talented writer. The characters were two boys you felt like you knew. They were well written. The plot seemed to bounce around and felt incomplete with many loose ends never having any closure.

It felt rushed in the last 25% with so many questions on how things happened and why.

Overall 3/5. The language is good, the characters are good but the story feels incomplete.

Thad’s world is in slow decay. His father has died after a long illness, and with him has gone any semblance of order in the world. His house, shared with his younger brother Hazen, is falling apart. In just a few months it’ll be bought out from under them by an unknown stranger. But there may still be a way to survive. ‘The Scot’—to whom they’ve been selling the fruits of their poaching, and who everyone knows has killed before—offers them a deal: in the national park, there’s a gold mine of shed elk antlers he can sell to his contacts and make them all rich. At first reluctant to invite the attention of the park rangers, one setback after another forces Thad to accept.

Brothers Thad and Hazen are well-realised, as is the sibling bond and (dis)harmony between them. The Scot is calmly menacing, mild-mannered and inscrutable. This book displays a sharp voice which moves from describing winter mud to sketching jolts of grief. Well-paced and propulsive, Callan Wink isn’t afraid to linger in a moment or to draw out a thread of humour. The offhand eeriness invoked by the whispering aspens, by the “pagan ritual” of the Scot’s strange house (later echoed in a very different house), and the constant ghostlike un-presence of the memory of the brothers’ father, lend a deep sense of the uncanny to this slice of the world on the edge of a slumbering Yellowstone. Beartooth is a nature story, a crime novel, a Western; it’s not far removed from Gothic Western. There is no grand confrontation, no easy relief. Though the first half of the book makes overtures towards a straightforward plot, at every turn Wink finds ways to defuse or defang a situation without ever letting up on tone or losing his grip on the voice which sings its passage through this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

a very atmospheric and interesting book that i would definitely recommend. the characters and landscapes were sweeping and awesome. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I read this book in two days and absolutely loved it.

Things I enjoyed about the book:
* Flawed family dynamics
* Brotherly connection
* Pleasantly surprising plot shifts
* Poetic writing style
* Beautiful storytelling
* The setting of Yellowstone and the surrounding area
* Descriptive narratives that made me feel like I was there

This is my first Callan Wink novel, and it won't be my last.

I appreciate the author for writing this book, as well as NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Beartooth is a gripping, raw survival story set in the wilds of Yellowstone that digs deep into the bond between two brothers struggling to make ends meet.

Thad and Hazen, living off the grid in the harsh Absaroka-Beartooth mountains after their father's death, face mounting debts and an uncertain future. When a mysterious stranger offers a dangerous proposition, the brothers are thrust into a desperate act of survival that will test their relationship and their very lives.

Callan Wink masterfully combines the rugged beauty of the American West with a taut, fast-paced narrative that’s as emotionally charged as it is thrilling. Fans of Peter Heller and Donald Ray Pollock will love this modern American pastoral full of tension, loyalty, and haunting choices.

This is an atmospheric tale of two brothers trying to survive in the mountains of Montana after their father dies. They take care of each other but not much else. In order to pay their bills and eat, they make the very bad decision to work for a shady dude stealing natural resources from Yellowstone. The heist doesn’t go as expected but it does change their lives in myriad ways.

This book is gritty and beautifully written. The relationship between the brothers is the stand out piece of this book, in my opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and Spiegel and Grau for the eARC.

Thad lives with his brother, Hazen, in a small house in the backcountry of Montana where they make ends meet by logging, hunting, and occasionally poaching. When one of their illegal trips goes wrong, Thad’s life takes an unexpected turn and he must face the past and the future. Beartooth by Callan Wink has some very positive things going for it including a beautifully drawn setting and a well-developed main character. Although other characters lack definition and the plot takes some questionable turns, I still enjoyed this novel about survival, loneliness, and moving forward through adversity.

This is a well written novel, but overall, the story left me wanting more. I enjoyed Callan Wink's previous novel, "August", so I was very excited to read "Beartooth". This novel is short and somber, but I was expecting a more heartbreaking and earth-shattering story based on the synopsis. I liked the strained relationship between the brothers. The brothers felt raw and real. The dialogue was decent, but I didn't like the ending. It was abrupt and lacked emotion. It's a mixed bag for me.

Wow! A very different story of two brothers struggling, living in the woods and trying to get by as best they can. Hunting and foraging and getting mixed up with a crazy Scot with a business proposition.
Very enjoyable book!

Thank you Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Two brothers, Thad and Hazan, live a hardscrabble life in the mountains on the edge of Yellowstone. Their lives are being crushed by medical debt after their father’s illness and a tax lien. Now they’re in danger of losing the home that’s been in their family for three generations. Desperate for money, they agree to a proposition from a sketchy outsider. The brothers agree to the heist of natural resources from inside Yellowstone. Predatory animals, the weather, and the harsh, but beautiful, terrain are more threatening than getting caught by federal authorities. Can the brothers escape with their lives and save their home?

This is a gripping story of survival, revenge, and family. The book pulled me right in and I flew through it. I loved the setting and the brothers’ dynamic. I love a good heist novel and this one did not disappoint. I thought this was a really unique take on the traditional heist story.

I definitely recommend this one for fans of the tv show Yellowstone, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone in the mood for a fast paced adventure story.

Incredible writing. This is my first book by Callan Wink and I really loved it, loved the atmosphere - gritty and moody - and the isolation of the two characters, Thad and Hazen, near the Great Canyon, trying to make ends meet after their father died. The book was labelled as a thriller and it doesn't seem accurate, it appears quite late in the book and while it is an important event, I will remember the book for the writing mostly.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau publishing for early access to read this book that releases 2/11/2025.

Beartooth follows 2 outdoorsy brothers on an emotional journey as they try to make money to keep their family home. Thad is the main character who guides them and his brother, Hazen, isn’t all there but has a lot of heart. I really enjoyed the way this story was told and it really hit home in a lot of different ways. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys nature reads with a lot of emotions.

This is my first book by Callan Wink and after reading this one, I’m a big fan and am going to go read more of his books.

Beartooth is so beautifully written I kept stopping to appreciate a sentence or to reread a paragraph. It's a character driven novel delving deeply into the relationship between two brothers, grown men who have lived all their lives in a small cabin near the edge of Yellowstone National Park. Thad and Haven have only each other since the lingering death of their father left them drowning in medical debt and about to lose the only home they've ever known. They scrape by cutting and selling firewood, hauling it to the same neighbors their father sold to. And, like their father, even if an elderly woman can't pay, they keep bringing her wood to keep her from freezing in the harsh winters. When the old truck breaks down, the brothers are desperate enough to take on a dangerous and illegal trek into Yellowstone, a fast paced adventure I was never sure either would live through. Beartooth is full of twists, surprises and breathtakingly real moments.

A big thanks to Callan Wink and NetGalley for the ARC. For me this story was like a crown fire. The shared flame of story between the brothers quickly climbed into the tree tops and it was off and running. Wink's story telling is often compared to that of the late Jim Harrison and I think anyone who's spent time invested in the lives Harrison created on the page would have to agree. I'd also like to add another comparison to a writer all too familiar with writing and living in the west, Thomas McGuane. Like McGuane, every detail of Wink's storytelling and characters is believable. This is not the writing of an author who has learned about a subject but rather Beartooth is gripping storytelling that can only come from spending significant time in the environments that Thad and Hazen find themselves in. If you love true western writing, crime, adventure and characters big enough for the Big Sky, I have no doubt you'll love Beartooth. I can't wait for it to be released publicly so I can buy it and read it again.

I very much enjoyed this quick burning book. It was about a 6 hour, start to finish, kind of read. The story is propulsive without being improbable, compelling without being exploitative. There are elements of noir crime drama, family drama, and some beautiful outdoors writing. I thought of Jim Harrison several times. This is a book for people who like Harrison, love David Joy, and value original voices capable of creating characters about whom you care while being frustrated with their choices.

I see the importance of a book like this. Unfortunately the writing style was not for me. I think people that enjoy slow character development and literary style may like this.

The Beartooths are a mountain range near Yellowstone National Park. In this novel, two brothers, Thad and Hazen, live in the house their father built, just outside the park. They have neglected the house since their father passed away. Their mother left years ago, but suddenly shows up on their doorstep. Thad and Hazen make their living by cutting and selling firewood to locals. But, they never make enough to do repairs on the house. A local man recruits them in an unscrupulous way to trespass into the park and collect a lot of antler sheds for him to sell. He tells them they will make a lot of money. Hazen is interested, but Thad is not. Until the man makes Thad agree by unscrupulous means. It has life-altering consequences for both of them.

The novel addresses some important subjects. The bonds of family are tested. There are themes of revenge, betrayal, loyalty, love and loss, desperation, all in the breathtaking wilderness of Montana's mountains. The characters are well-developed and their personalities are unique. Each has motivations that the reader eventually understands.

To me, the ending was a bit ambiguous. It left some questions, but that is good in a way. It makes you think about it longer than if it was wrapped up neatly and stated openly. I think this was a masterfully written novel that brought in elements that drew my attention throughout. I loved the setting. The conflict between the brothers, and between Thad and his mother, were made realistic and believable. I enjoyed this novel and hope to read more from this writer.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.