In Love With The World: David Guterson comes to Spokane
“It’s probably not a stretch to say that I’m in love with the world,” author and poet David Guterson writes. “Everything fascinates me.”
“I’m curious, in the sense of ‘interested in things’, so I go down a lot of rabbit holes and am content to stay there for a long time with no purpose other than to be there.”
Guterson’s seventh novel and 13th book — 14th, if you count his 2001 e-book memoir — was published Jan. 20.
Guterson's Books
The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind - 1989
Short Stories
“Touching moments of intimacy abound,” wrote the Chicago Tribune, “resulting in a bracing collection that speaks to the heart and mind both.” Winner of the Washington state Governor’s Award for Fiction.
Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense - Sept. 30, 1992
On his website, Guterson writes: “This seems like the right time to say that I'm not a homeschooling advocate, but that I do find it interesting, and do think it belongs in our society as one option among many.”
Snow Fallingon Cedars - March 1994
Named Book of the Year by the American Booksellers Association and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award. Guterson’s first novel was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Ethan Hawke and Youki Kudoh that earned an Oscar nomination.
The Drowned Son - September 1996
Short Story
One (64-page) story of a family coping with an unbearable loss. This printing is part of the “Bloomsbury Birthday Quids” series: short stories by major authors.
East of the Mountains - April 19, 1990
USA Today wrote: “Guterson possesses a remarkable gift for capturing people and places, etching them into the reader’s mind.” Adapted into a 2021 movie starring Tom Skerritt and Mira Sorvino.
Descent - 2001
E-Book Memoir
The 9/11 attacks forced Guterson to drive home to Seattle from Washington, D.C. But it also triggered within him a loss of interest in his work, his family, his friends — and even his life.
Our Lady of the Forest - 2003
A 16-year-old runaway itinerant mushroom picker who lives in a tent claims to have been visited by the Virgin Mary. Named a Notable Book by the New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.
The Other - June 3, 2008
The New York Times wrote this is “a moving portrait of male friendship, the kind that forms on the cusp of adulthood and refuses to die, no matter how maddening the other guy turns out to be ... (Guterson’s) books keep getting better.”
Ed King - Oct . 18, 2011
In the early 1960s, a Seattle man sleeps with the underaged British au pair who’s watching his kids. The resulting baby is adopted and grows up to become a billionaire internet tycoon. Critics called this novel a reboot of the myth of “Oedipus Rex.”
Songs for a Summons - March 1, 2014
Poetry
Guterson writes on his website: “I’m a lover of the world’s trim and tackle, of its forgotten quotidian, and see existence as a manifest miracle, unfathomable at its core.”
Problemswith People - June 3, 2014
Short Stories
“If we have problems with other people,” Guterson writes on his website, “it might be at least in part because, like them, we’re human and flawed.” Ten short stories address our desire for connection.
Turn Around Time
SEPTEMBER 2019
POETRY
To a hiking enthusiast, “Turn Around Time” is when you have to turn around and head back. Guterson’s book-length poem uses it as a metaphor for our lifes. Illustrated by Justin Gibbens.
The Final Case - Jan. 11, 2022
An aged criminal attorney prepares to defend his final case in court: a white, fundamentalist Christian couple who adopted a girl from Ethiopia — but the girl turned up dead one rainy night a few feet from the back door of their home.
Evelyn in Transit - Jan. 20, 2026
A trio of Buddhist lamas show up at a woman’s door and inform her that her 5-year-old son is the seventh reincarnation of a recently deceased monk. They want him to move to their monastery in Tibet, wear robes and live a life of celibacy.
Northwest Passages
Guterson will be the guest of The Spokesman-Review’s Northwest Passages book club at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Coughlin Theater at Gonzaga University’s Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center.
For tickets, VIP meet-and-greet packages and free tickets for students, click on this link.