Kingdomtide (Curtis)

Kingdomtide 
Rye Curtis, 2020
Little Brown & Co.
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316420105


Summary
The sole survivor of a plane crash, seventy-two-year-old Cloris Waldrip is lost and alone in the unforgiving wilderness of Montana's rugged Bitterroot Range, exposed to the elements with no tools beyond her wits and ingenuity.

Intertwined with her story is Debra Lewis, a park ranger struggling with addiction and a recent divorce, who is galvanized by her new mission to find and rescue Cloris.

As Cloris wanders mountain forests and valleys, subsisting on whatever she can scavenge, her hold on life ever more precarious, Ranger Lewis and her motley group of oddball rescuers follow the trail of clues she's left behind.

Days stretch into weeks, and hope begins to fade. But with nearly everyone else giving up, Ranger Lewis stays true until the end.

Dramatic and morally complex, Kingdomtide is a story of the decency and surprising resilience of ordinary people faced with extraordinary circumstances.

In powerful, exquisite prose, debut novelist Rye Curtis delivers an inspiring account of two unforgettable characters whose heroism reminds us that survival is only the beginning. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
Rye Curtis is originally from Amarillo, Texas. He is a graduate of Columbia University and now lives in Queens in New York City. Kingdomtide is his first novel (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
A startling reversal to the typical survival story.… Abounds in homespun sensory detail.… Rye Curtis complicates the expected adventure-novel payoff.… Cloris's narration grows increasingly vulnerable, surprising, and profound. The wonder of her ordeal has detached her from ordinary cares yet made her ravenously curious about the big, unanswerable questions.
Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal


Rye Curtis's debut novel, Kingdomtide, is that rare genre-fluid story that is lovable both because of and despite its surfeit of eccentric, over-the-top characters and moments. Some are gritty and dark, others light and wise; together they create an impressive first book and a highly original tale of adventure and perseverance.
Los Angeles Times


A heart-pounding tale.… Riveting and surprising.… Kindness helps steer this heartbreaking tale in a heartwarming direction…. Rye Curtis keeps us turning pages as Cloris confronts bobcats, hypothermia, starvation, icy inundation, and a strange mountain lion who walks backwards.… [A] transportive read… [and] stirring debut.
Heller McAlpin - NPR


Harrowing…. In beautiful prose this horrifying and brutal work of art bounces between Cloris's and Debra's narratives. Together, these unforgettable women create a unique literary novel full of suspense and twists…. The entire cast of characters is layered and raw…. Underneath this gritty and dark tale is the message that sometimes heroism and kindness emerge from those we despise and fear the most,
Sunday Times (UK)


Vivid… an enthralling debut.
Guardian (UK)


[I]ntense…. Seventy-two-year-old Cloris Waldrip's grueling attempt to survive and escape is depicted with vivid urgency…. Her gritty, nightmarish story, as well as her strong voice and personality, will make her a reader favorite…. This story of survival will keep readers quickly turning the pages.
Publishers Weekly


[D]eep and surprising…. Cloris’ survival narration is exciting, with devastating vistas and a mysterious savior in the form of a possible fugitive, but her musings on her past life and life in general are some of the book’s very best moments…. Gloriously unexpected.
Booklist


A bitterly unhappy forest ranger finds a purpose in her search for an old woman who might have survived disaster in this darkly humorous debut novel.… A captivating survival story alternates with a less satisfying look at a midlife crisis in this promising first novel.
Kirkus Reviews

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