American Mythology

In this entertaining adventure from Cromley (What We Build upon the Ruins), a ragtag crew embarks on a search for Sasquatch. When Jute Ramsey was 11, he went on a camping trip in Montana’s Elkhorn Mountains with his father, during which they felt they were being watched and found a massive handprint on their car. Now, some 30 years later, Jute—who holds onto the idea that he encountered a Bigfoot as a child—has formed a Bigfoot society of two with his friend Vergil. The two make regular expeditions around Montana in search of the creature. After they meet evolutionary biologist Dr. Marcus Bernard and documentary film student Vicky Xu in a bar, the group hatches a plan to search for Bigfoot together, with Vergil’s daughter, Rye, tagging along. Bernard, previously known as a Bigfoot nut, now wants to prove the creature doesn’t exist, while Vergil, who’s harboring a secret—he has terminal pancreatic cancer—is waiting for the right moment to tell Rye, who has already lost her mother. In the mountains, the group find human stick figures outside their tents and hear bizarre whistling as they make their way toward the site of Jute’s purported encounter. Cromley hits just the right tone, balancing satire, horror, and heartfelt drama. It’s a lot of fun. Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Greenberg Rostan. (July)