Yellowstone, hiking, hunting and fishing, brotherhood, and a slightly rundown house in mild disrepair. These are just some of the elements this book contains. We follow the brothers Thad and Hazen, who live a seemingly simple life off the grid in the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains. They engage in logging when they need money and occasionally partake in illegal hunting when they need a little extra. It's just the two of them until one day their "mother figure" reappears. She left the brothers when they were young, and now she is determined to stay. We follow the family as they quietly live around each other in the wild surroundings. In the midst of it all, we also get an exciting heist when the brothers take on a job they really shouldn't.

"Beartooth" is gritty, masculine, and rough. Reading this book felt like diving into an old log cabin and experiencing life off the grid. I loved how the story was both fast-paced and slow at the same time. It flowed effortlessly, engaging me deeply and making me care for the brothers. A beautiful book!

Thad and Hazen are two brothers who live in the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains, just outside Yellowstone Park.
Money is tight and life is hard in this remote part of the state, they are barely surviving. Until they are offered a deal that could change their lives, but it’s illegal and fraught with danger.
When the job goes awry their priorities change, and the brothers have to find their own way to survive in such a harsh environment.
This journey will define their future and their relationship and change everything in their lives forever.
An incredibly poignant and powerful piece of writing, a novel that has deep emotions and a fine elegance about it.
I found myself intoxicated in its beauty.
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long while.
If you like James Lee Burke or C.J. Box you will absolutely love this. It’s truly outstanding.

Beartooth is a rugged, quietly powerful novel that captures the raw beauty of the American West and the complex lives of those who inhabit it. Callan Wink’s prose is spare yet deeply evocative, painting a vivid portrait of a young man navigating love, loss, and the harsh realities of rural life.

The novel moves at an unhurried pace, allowing its characters and landscapes to breathe, though at times it lingers a bit too long in its introspection. Still, Wink’s storytelling is deeply atmospheric, filled with a melancholic longing that stays with you. A thoughtful and compelling read for fans of literary fiction with a strong sense of place.

Beartooth follows two brothers, Thad and Hazen who live in the Montana backcountry and do some poaching. They are struggling for money when they are offered a risky hunting job in Yellowstone National Park and their lives are tested.

The atmosphere was really well done in this book. I could actually smell this book and it felt as if I was there hunting myself. It was a quick read and I had a pleasant time reading it. I’m giving this 3 stars because I had a good time with this but it needed to be longer for me to really connect with this.

I really enjoyed this one. I thought all of the characters served a purpose and I adored the setting descriptions. The description of Yellowstone and the mountains was amazing. Also as a Scottish person I thought it was fun having a Scot in the book even as a heel. The characters we meet along the way were hard hitting and I thought the last half of this book was the best. I definitely would recommend for the Yellowstone vibe and characters and I hope to read more of this author.

This is my second time reading this book. both covers are cool.
Upon my second read, I enjoyed the mood slightly more, but that was one of my highlights in my first read.
Ideal length, and interesting character study of two brothers.
Had this been more layered, and the structure more balanced, I would have enjoyed it more.
3.5 stars.

3.5 This wasn’t quite the human-versus-nature story that I’d thought it was; but its scope and breadth surprised me.

What worked for me:
🐻 Descriptions and sense of place was phenomenal: it felt like I was there in Yellowstone with the brothers
🐻 Characterization was strong: I got a sense of both brothers. Kazen annoyed the stuffing out of me with this reckless behaviour but I found myself warming to him as the story progressed
🐻 The unconventional lifestyle that the brothers had was refreshing; the conflict about the property tax was easy to get invested in
🐻 Commentary about ethics about hunting and extracting from the land that the brothers learned from their dad and how this showed up across the story
🐻 The cover is awesome

What I wasn’t so keen on:
🐻 The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped <spoilers removed>