In desperate need of some down time, I spent four hours of my Saturday reading The Hunt (216 pages, AuthorHouse, ISBN-13: 978-14520123, $14.99) by David Francis. While the novel presents an engaging story about an aging hunter’s pursuit of the whitetail king of Jenkins Mountain, it provides an emotional look into the one obstacle that no hunter can overcome.
Francis uses his knowledge of the outdoors and his keen descriptions to take us back to a time when hunting was more pure and simple, and he deftly captures the heart-pounding thrill of the hunt that continues to drive any outdoorsman who pursues trophy whitetail deer. Through the aging veteran hunter Elmer’s reflections and actions, Francis shows how hunting profoundly affects individuals, families, and communities, and shows how deep hunting values, traditions, and passions run.
The Hunt provides colorful detail of Elmer’s past and present whitetail deer hunts, but it gives the reader insight into a much more profound hunt, one in which Elmer is searching for peace and closure. With trigger-pulling, hard-hitting, buck-fighting action and soul-searching, tear-jerking, introspective sentimentality, The Hunt kept me thoroughly entertained.
The Hunt is available in paperback at various booksellers, including authorhouse.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.
Find out more about David Francis at http://davidfrancis.posterous.com.