The Narrows, Miles Deep — Tom Schabarum

Set primarily in the Intermountain West, The Narrows, Miles Deep, tells the story of two men who must come to terms with each other in tumultuous times. Alternating between narrative, and the voices of friends, family and old lovers, the characters are explored from all sides as the story deepens with meaning. The novella is a travelogue of the human heart, by turns funny, heartbreaking and with mythic undertones, these two men must navigate their lives in extraordinary times of wonder, plague, and radical change. A mother must face the rigors of her religion, two fathers realize the costs of keeping secrets, and two women, lovers, through one of the men, discover the meaning of their relationship. But the story is ultimately about the fragile nature of love. Utilizing the myth and power of the western landscape, ending in The Narrows of Zion National Park, one of the men must make a wrenching choice and finds “the world is constructed of terrible consequences.”