I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book which is being released in June. And, wow! I loved this book! Jim Lynch’s descriptions of landscape and nature are pure poetry! If you have read Cormac McCarthy’s books, the scenes describing the nature of the landscape and the wildlife reminded me of his books.

Set at the border of Washington State and Canada, this book is poetry blended with quirky characters right out of the movie “Fargo.” The main character is a bird-watching, bird-calling, dyslexic giant of a man named Brandon who is pushed into the Border Patrol by his cow-farmer father who needs Brandon to make money. And, oh, yeah! Brandon paints birds and portraits of the people he captures crossing the border! Intrigued? Hopefully, because this book is a jewel of a read! Brandon is a natural-born farmer forced into a career he excels at but is not passionate about.

Other characters in this book include Brandon’s father who has across-the-border arguments with his Canadian pot-smoking retired professor who lives behind the farm (and, oh, yeah, the professor spends his time recreating inventions such as Edison’s light bulb); Sophie, the masseuse who “heals” people from both sides of the border and is chronicling everyones’ lives; Madeline, the pot-smoking professor’s daughter; and the list goes on and on.

What is so amazing about this book is how it seamlessly blends the quirky, hilarious moments with the touching, thoughtful, and sorrowful moments. If this intrigues you – definitely get on the waiting list for this book! It is a wonderful read!