BKMT READING GUIDES
The Mountain Story: A Novel
by Lori Lansens
Hardcover : 320 pages
9 clubs reading this now
1 member has read this book
Nola has gone up the mountain to commemorate her wedding anniversary, the first since her beloved husband passed. Blonde, stick-thin Bridget is training for a triathalon. Vonn is working out her teenage ...
Introduction
Four lost hikers are about to discover they’re capable of something extraordinary.
Nola has gone up the mountain to commemorate her wedding anniversary, the first since her beloved husband passed. Blonde, stick-thin Bridget is training for a triathalon. Vonn is working out her teenage rebellion at eight thousand feet, driven by family obligation and the urge to escape her mistakes. Still reeling from the tragic accident that robbed him of his best friend, Wolf Truly is the only experienced hiker among them, but he has come to the cliffs on his eighteenth birthday without food or supplies because he plans to take his own life.
When a series of missteps strands this unusual group together in the wilderness, they soon realize that their only defense against the brutality of nature is one another. As one day without rescue spirals dramatically into the next, and misadventure turns to nightmare, these four broken souls begin to form an inextricable bond, pushing themselves and one another further than they ever could have dreamed possible. The three who make it home alive will be forever changed by their harrowing days on the mountain.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Girls, The Mountain Story is a fast-paced, suspenseful adventure and a gorgeous tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Braving a landscape both unforgivingly harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, Nola, Bridget, Vonn, and Wolf find themselves faced with an impossible question: How much will they sacrifice for a stranger?
Discussion Questions
1. In the introduction to the story, Wolf tells Danny that “to understand about the mountain, you need to know what came before” (page 1). Discuss what Wolf meant by this—why is the background so important to the story?2. Even though Wolf splits the story up according to the five days on the mountain, he often goes back in time to think about “all the befores and afters that had brought me to that moment” (page 16), filling in details about his time growing up and his life in California. Consider and discuss how this framework affected your reading experience.
3. Wolf notices each of the three women on the tram before he actually meets them. How do his observations and assumptions line up with how they actually are when he gets to know them?
Suggested by Members
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
“A superbly crafted, tension-filled tale.” *A Library Journal Editors’ Spring Pick starred review[2015] *Good Housekeeping UK – Novel to watch *A Quill & Quire Novel to Watch For starred review [Spring 2015] Bella UK Magazine Spring Pick CBC Novel to watch CBC Summer Reading List Whitcoulls Bookstore Chain, New Zealand - Pick of the monthBook Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 2 members.
Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more