A Mountain in the Air: A Trilogy by Laura Koerber – Review by Ayla Phipps

A Mountain in the Air: A Trilogy by Laura Koerber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had never heard of Laura Koerber before coming across this book and I was intrigued by the unique synopsis and the chance to read three of her works in one. The three novellas in order are Coyote’s Road Trip, Raven Woman’s Tavern and A Mountain in the Air.
When first meeting Coyote Jim he is seeing the first migraters cross through his territory, the Valley of Dry Bones in Nevada. These people did not leave a good impression on him as they seemed to not care about the land, learning or their own kind. All they cared about was their destination, not the journey. The timeline can be confusing in the beginning as it bounces back and forth between memories of Jim conversing with the ghosts of the only two humans, he ever built a friendship with their death and meeting them. After a radiation leak that forced the humans to move away Joseph and Janey were the last humans in his territory, so he took interests in them. When they passed Coyote no longer had anything keeping him in the Valley of Dry Bones, but it had been his home for as long as he could remember but the climate changes gave him no choice but to go in search of a new home. With his journey taking him to Washington state he finds something he wasn’t looking for but hopes it will be enough.
When I first got this book, I was curious how the three novellas worked together as each had a different main character. I then realized that they all led into each other to a degree, Coyote ends his road trip in the timber town where Raven owns a tavern, and Pete lives in the wilderness of Mt. Rainier nearby. At times I felt the story dragged on, but the imagery of the landscapes and the development of each story kept me glued to the pages needing more.

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