The Last Ranger – Peter Heller

One of my favorite things about reading The Last Ranger is that it is coming out at at time we are seeing one video after another of “Tourons,” Tourist/Morons, many at Yellowstone National Park, interacting inappropriately with the wildlife or sticking their hands in dangerously hot springs and generally creating havoc. Because this novel introduces us to Ren, an enforcement ranger living on site and responsible, among other things, for handling Touron types. Someone is killing wolves and engaging in threatening activities toward Hilly, a wolf expert studying a pack at Yellowstone. Ren, too is being threatened… he thinks. Heller weaves a great story about personal, political, community, academic and tourist experiences of Yellowstone. He includes elements of current issues with addiction, childhood trauma and transcendence. This is a well plotted story with characters we connect with as their stories unfold and some surprises that are pleasing to the reader. The setting, a small part of Yellowstone and the nearest town, is wonderful. It’s a book that cannot be described sufficiently due to the potential for spoilers, but a very, very good read.