Cabin, Clearing, Forest [Paperback]

“People break my heart. Every single one of them does.” In settings that range from rural fishing communities to the urban capital, the stories ofCabin, Clearing, Forestare a lyrical road map to the human landscape of contemporary Alaska. In “Blue Ticket,” a stranger finds solace in a Juneau homeless encampment. Old friends argue over the pleasures and perils of small-town life in “A Beginner’s Guide to Leaving Your Hometown,” and in “Every Island Longs for the Continent,” a young family falls apart after moving to Kodiak. In these thirteen stories, Zach Falcon explores the burdens of familiarity and the pains of estrangement through characters struggling with their place in the world.

Zach Falconwas born and raised in Alaska. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he currently lives in Maine.

Cabin
Clearing
Forest
What This Guy Said One Night, in the Arctic Bar, in Juneau, Alaska
Blue Ticket
The Times of Danil Garland
Dendromancy
Bridge to Nowhere
Roost
A Beginner’s Guide to Leaving Your Hometown
Sleight
Knots Pull Against Themselves
Every Island Longs for the Continent—Kodiak, 1973
Acknowledgments

“Falcon’s skill in presenting bleakly realistic, unidealized lives is central to the book’s considerable power. On top of that—and more to the point for those who don’t live here—he’s an exceptional writer.”

“Falcon demonstrates a mastery of language with this collection. . . . Each story sounds unique while still feeling cohesive as a whole.”

“Falcon is a beautifully gifted writer who can make even the saddest of stories have some sort of twinkle of hope for something better.”