About the Book:
Small Animals Caught in Traps tells the story of Lewis Yaw, a troubled flyfishing guide trying to help his daughter Grayling find her way in the world even as he’s losing his own. It’s also the story of a daughter trying to save her father from drowning. The danger of trying to save someone from drowning is that you can get pulled down too, and sometimes your only choice is to let go.
“The wildest things aren’t in the forests or jungles, or even in the shadows,” Lewis tells Gray. “They’re inside us, and we spend our lives building cages—work, marriage, friendships, families—to contain them.”
Theirs is a story soaked with the cold rain that falls endlessly on Disappointment, Oregon, the runt of a town where it takes place. But rays of humor and beauty shine through, and ultimately this is a book about hope.
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/small-animals-caught-in-traps-by-c-b-bernard
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63082656-small-animals-caught-in-traps
Guest Reviewer Frannie’s Thoughts:
It is a heart wrenching story about a troubled soul who is running from his past in the hope of finding a better future. The story of the American Dream. It is not. From the beginning we learn about the harrowing childhood of Lewis Yaw who becomes an average boxer to erase the marks of his father’s abusive outbursts and brutal beatings. In his misalignment with his own identity, he meets a woman named Janey who he marries and moves out from the east coast to the wild west to a town aptly named Disappointment, Oregon, where he becomes a fishing guide.
Once in Oregon, they discover they will be having a child. Much to Yaw’s apprehension, they are having a girl that they name Grayling. Her nickname is Gray, a color of opacity, complexity, opaqueness. In high school she became his fishing guide apprentice and sparing boxing partner. He teaches her all he knows. Yaw is determined not to continue the legacy that his father imposed on him and the deep despair that Janey encountered as an adopted child navigating a thankless foster care system. Together they teach Gray about hope, love, and compassion. Regardless of how hard they try; they are still trapped in a downward spiral. Tragedy strikes again, as if it is impossible for them to run fast enough to get away from their destinies. With the stark realization that their new town of Disappointment is as much a trap as anywhere, Yaw becomes depressed and moody.
The author uses brilliant imagery and elegant illustrations of nature and wildlife in his writing. His magnificent language brings these outdoor scenes into clarity and with exquisite wording can juxtaposition the complicated and violent characters’ lives with the forces of nature. We learn about a predatory bear in town, a faux uncle with a troubled past and a poaching fishing guide who is trying to kill Yaw. Highlighting their disturbing situations, dramatizing their harrowing spots, the author makes the characters plausible, although a bit far-fetched.
Janey ‘s character and her relationship with Gray could have been studied more and the side of femininity vs masculinity and women’s strength explored. Gray becomes a very strong women’s role model in the end. It isn’t clear how she arrives at that pivotal point, but the message of hope and family is unmistakable.
I read the book in one day. It was beautifully written, and it kept you on the edge of your seat. I recommend it to anyone interested in family ties, restoring the past and an authentic anticipation of hope.
About the Author: C.B. Bernard is the author of the novel Small Animals Caught in Traps: A Novel, the forthcoming novel Ordinary Bear (Blackstone 2024), and Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now, a finalist for the Oregon Book Award, a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Travel Pick, and a National Geographic top travel choice. He lives on the Rhode Island coast. Learn more at http://cbbernard.com
Book Junkie Reviews 
Leave a comment