Cabin, Clearing, Forest

by Falcon, Zach

“People break my heart. Every single one of them does.” In settings that range from rural fishing communities to the urban capital, the stories of Cabin, Clearing, Forest are 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 to find their place in the world.

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.

—The Juneau Empire

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

—The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Zach Falcon was born and raised in Alaska. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he currently lives in Maine.