West of Here

Jonathan Evison wrote West of Here, a novel about a town on the rugged Washington coast called Port Bonita.  The story skips back and forth from 1860 to 2006.  Each character is introduced thoroughly so I didn't feel overwhelmed by all the names and personalities.  About half way through this entertaining story, I realized, like after staring at one of those magic eye pictures, that things were starting to fit together like a puzzle.  A odd young native boy in 1860 is linked with another at-risk youth in Port Bonita High School who engages in risky behavior.  A man named Thornburg who builds the dam on the river in 1860 that forever blocks the salmon is related to the Thornburg who manages the local fish canning factory in 2006. Krieg was one of my favorite characters.  He works in the canning factory, believes in Sasquatch, drives a GTO, and seem very lonely.  He's related to a minor character in the 1860's who is known as a hero. Except for uncomfortable flashes of misogyny, I enjoyed the authors description of the people and the land. Even the side story about Sasquatch wasn't too distracting.