Lookout

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Lookout 

Author: Christine Byl 

Publisher: A Strange Object 

Release Date: 3.14.23

Publisher’s Summary 

Set in rural Montana, Lookout centers on the dual coming-of-age of a girl and her father amid the natural and cultural forces that shape their family.

Lookout tells the story of the Kinzlers, a working-class family firmly rooted in Northwest Montana. Set beneath big skies and spanning four decades, Lookout is an unvarnished look at contemporary life in the rural mountain west, and the interior worlds of people who are different than their surfaces imply. Josiah & Margaret Kinzler have forged an unusual bond that honors both tenderness and solitude; their daughters, Cody and Louisa, grow up watching their parents navigate what it means to be true to yourself, and what that costs.

The core of the book is a dual coming-of-age: Cody’s from stoic ranch kid to a resilient woman learning to lean on others, and Josiah’s as he struggles to thrive in a world that has misunderstood him. Bound by their love of the land, the Kinzlers work to bridge the gaps created by the secrets they keep from one another. Lookout brings to life a family at home in a nuanced American West, at the conjunction of the outer world with inner lives.

My Review

The publisher's summary states that this novel "centers on the dual coming-of-age of a girl and her father," but the other characters are all strongly written and can barely be considered secondary. Full of tender and truthful dialogue, this book is both light and full of love as well as achingly sad and heavy. I have been turning this story over and over in my mind the last few days, trying to think of how I will do it justice with a review. I will keep it short and say it is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. Take your time with this quiet book and you will be greatly rewarded.