Peter Heller | Book Chatter

The Last Ranger
By Peter Heller
Vintage, July 2024, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

There needs to be a new genre to categorize Heller’s work. It’s outdoorsy, environmentally aware, and somehow a mystery all at the same time. In other words, a lot to love.

The Rest of It:

Officer Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, tasked with duties both mundane and thrilling: Breaking up fights at campgrounds, saving clueless tourists from moose attacks, and attempting to broker an uneasy peace between the wealthy vacationers who tromp through the park with cameras, and the residents of hardscrabble Cooke City who want to carve out a meaningful living. ~ the publisher

Ren’s exposure to wealthy vacationers puts a damper on an otherwise perfect job. Being outside and getting to work in such a beautiful place is the thing of dreams, but as good as that is, when the wildlife, mainly the wolves and local bears are targeted for their pelts, Ren finds himself in a range war. The animals are protected to a degree but when they cross boundaries, as animals do, their lives are not guaranteed and hunters looking to profit off those expensive pelts suddenly become the hunted.

When one of Ren’s closest friends, a scientist studying the wolf pack, finds herself targeted by a local hunter, Ren vows to protect her. Especially since Ren already lost the love of his life to a terminal illness. Can he afford to lose someone close to him again?

Ren is the kind of guy you want in your corner. He’s rugged, but also tender in all the right places. Reasonable, until he’s not. He loves hard and protects his people, the best way he can. I really enjoyed my time with Ren and this rambunctious cast of characters. The Last Ranger possesses the charm of a small town but the looming threat of the outside world and with it, the reminder that at any second all can be lost.

The Last Ranger is a treat for anyone who appreciates the beauty of wide, open land. It’s a little bit of a mystery and there is a little love tossed in there too but I would not call this a romance by any means unless you consider this a love letter to nature and all it contains.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Burn
By Peter Heller
Knopf, 9780593801628, August 2024, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

A stark warning to a divided country.

The Rest of It:

I’ve read a few books by Heller and all of them have left me a little speechless. All powerful, all a bit unsettling but this one, wow, I gotta take a moment.

In Burn, Storey and Jess start their annual hunting trip as they always do, except as they hike through Maine, they come across some alarming things. Maine is in the throes of secession and as they come across each town, they see the horrible devastation of what’s left behind. Evidence of a burn, evidence of attack. None of it good. As they make their way across the country, they begin to wonder what has happened back at home. Are their families safe? Surely, help would have been sent.

They quickly realize that their goal is simply survival, and getting back home but the enemy is not clear cut. They can’t tell secessionists from the military and everyone is fighting for supplies. As the journey continues, food is scarce, and mechanisms for getting home are scarce too. Boats? Not in the greatest shape and too obvious on the water. By foot? Long. Too long. They witness horrible things. No one can be trusted. They are on their own.

Enter a lost little girl.

Still unsure if there is even anything to go back to, home seems like such an elusive thing but then here is this girl, only six years old, desperately wanting to be with her parents. Are they even alive? How has she survived so far? Worried about their own survival but unable to leave a child to fend for herself in this bombed-out world, they take her on and their mission changes.

This story is bleak. There is little hope and honestly, it felt a little exhausting to be on this journey with Storey and Jess. All of the “what ifs” kept going through my mind . What would happen today if something like this happened? Could it? I feel as if it absolutely can which made it even more difficult to read.

Heller’s writing here is a warning. A warning that a divided country cannot win. How do you feel about that? I read this alongside my 1984 (read-along) and man, it put me in a dark place. And I kid you not, as I was typing this out, I received a phone call from the UNITED STATES. Probably spam but chilling. Like, hello, your country is calling you!

Ahem, If you love Heller, you will also appreciate this book but it’s bleak. You should know that going in. Lots to consider here. Would make a good discussion book.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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