Togwotee (toe’-ga-tee) is the name of a challenging mountain pass in the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming, which is named for a Shoshone subchief. As used in the title of this fictive tale, it’s an apt metaphor for the protagonist’s physical and cognitive passage through the seasons of life’s chaotic landscape.
The story begins in 1940s Wyoming with a young Calan caught up in the trauma of a dysfunctional family. When the abuse escalates to life-threatening, an intervention introduces him to wilderness on a grand scale, as well as a Shoshone friend with a differing perspective of life. Exposed to conflicting ideologies, his maverick spirit foments emotional turbulence and perplexities along life’s path of unexpected twists and turns.
With off-the-beaten-path experiences and intimately relatable characters, this tale is a thought kindling journey of mind and spirit, complemented with expressive illustrations.
Literary Eco-fiction, Adventure, Nature, Native American
Intended for thoughtful readers, the story is character driven rather than plot driven, contains Native American mythology, has an entwined thread of natural world interconnectedness, and beginning in the 1940s could be seen as historical in a younger reader’s mind 🙂 It is not a “Western,” although it does begin in Wyoming and later revisits western regions.
This tale was an amazing insight into the coming of age and the life of Calan, a boy born within Wyoming’s wilderness.
The novel had a lot of great tales and examples of Shoshone life and mythology. I greatly enjoyed reading the history of the great tribe.
Calan’s life was difficult from beginning to end, but his drive and will to live was very good to read. From an abusive father, to the wilds of Vietnam, to the strangeness of Eastern city-life, Calan persevered and stayed true to his family.
The continuing theme of Nature needed to be protected has lasting effects and knowledge. Everything in nature is in balance, and we as humans, seem to love destroying this balance.
The knowledge that life is fleeting, and therefore should be protected, is a wonderful reason to take care of the Nature that surrounds us all.
The personalities of Calan and his best friend, Derek, were so well rounded and realistic. They came at a problem from two different directions: one from a white-man’s view of the world (Calan) and the other from the native teachings and beliefs of the Shoshone (Derek).
A great example of a character-driven story of life in its fullness.
L. G. Cullens was born and raised in 1940’s Wyoming with Shoshone friends (his naturalist grounding), served in the military, and pursued careers first in civil engineering, then computer sciences, and finally, in his fifties, woodworking decorative arts. Since, with diminished dexterity he’s turned to writing. A natural sciences passion throughout his lifetime is evinced in his art and writing.
Additional writing by the author and others as well as book reviews and artworks, all on a natural world theme, can be found at https://lgcullens.com
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