PRISONERS OF FLIGHT

An unlikely foursome are trapped in an abandoned Montana cabin for the winter in Gustafson's off-key first novel. Engine trouble forces two 50-something war buddies Sling and Henson to land their small plane in the wilderness, damaging the craft in the rough landing. They soon encounter college-age twin sisters ("two breathless earth cookies") who have strayed into the woods looking for their lost dog. The four discover a handy cabin with a supply of flour, cornstarch, cookware and even skis. They dine on the trout Sling catches and the grouse that Henson brings down with a nifty antique bow and arrow set he brought along. The women cook, clean and are duly impressed by the men's accomplishments. Sling, who narrates the tale, reveals that he has been partially deaf since his imprisonment in a North Vietnamese POW camp. He works as a veterinarian and relies on taste and smell to diagnose animal illnesses ("I taste the sweetness of a diabetic cat's urine and know her need for insulin. I smell the breath of a milk-fevered cow and know the depth of her ketosis..."). The sisters, whose father died in a plane crash, talk about their unhappy home life. Henson, who is a Blackfoot/Cree Indian, wants to return to the land, an inclination fueled by the appearance of Kid, a lost Indian deer hunter who stumbles upon their camp just in time for disaster to strike. The improbability of the plot twists is matched by the unintentional humor of the imprecise, strained prose ("Soon we all dream. The dreaming that sleep in the selfsame room awakens, selfsame dreaming"). (June)