The Snow Falcon
by Stuart Harrison

List Price: $13.95
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0312254202
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

A magnificent gyrfalcon, soaring over the irocky cliffs of the Pacific Northwest, is winged by a hunter and falls to earth. Rescued and taken to a nearby farmhouse, the bird will irrevocably change the lives of her savior, Michael Somers, and the woman and child he comes to love.

After many years, Somers has returned to his hometown of Little River Bend to unlock secrets from his own past--secrets that almost drove him to destroy his family in a night of irrational violence. Shunned by his neighbors, he is determined to heal the bird and release her to freedom. Watching from afar as Somers coaxes the bird to fly is Jamie Baker, a deeply troubled little boy who lost the power of speech after witnessing his father's death in a hunting accident.

Through caring for the falcon, a tender and emotional bond forms between the child, his mother--who yearns to free her child from his self-made prison--and the strange man who seems able to heal.

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1. Discuss the importance of nature as a redemptive force in The Snow Falcon. How does this differ from the portrayal of nature in books like The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger or Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer?

2. How does the author compare and contrast physical pain with emotional pain? How are these different kinds of pain conveyed through Ellis’ character?

3. In The Snow Falcon, Michael Somers, a man with a checkered past, forsakes the anonymity of the big city for the prejudices of a small rural town. Why does he do this? How does the author use Somers decision to portray one’s personal roots as both important and inescapable?

4. Discuss the theme of alienation as it pertains to Michael Somers’ character in The Snow Falcon. Are the townspeople justified in their feelings toward Somers? Who is responsible for or capable of reestablishing trust once it has been broken?

5. How does Harrison treat the responsibility owed by one generation to the next? How is this reflected in Somers’ problematic relationship with his own parents and the very troubling history with his wife and daughter?

6. All the characters in The Snow Falcon are somehow scarred from past experiences. Through the falcon, and by empathizing with one another’s torment, each starts down the path to salvation. To what extent is the bird merely a focal point for their energies? To what extent is it innately capable of healing their psychological wounds?

7. How is love treated in the novel? Is the possessive/obsessive love sometimes felt by Somers and the other characters real love? Is it really directed toward another person, or is it a kind of self-love?

8. How do the characters develop throughout the novel? How do they grow personally?

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"The Snow Falcon is a grand debut for Stuart Harrison, mixing a sensitive and poignant style with strong elements of suspense. This bird is memorable. "

——Stuart Woods

"The story is as tough as it is tender, an exceptionally well-woven tapestry of romance and danger. "

——Nelson DeMille

"If you liked The Horse Whisperer, you'll adore this melt-in-your-mind love story. "

——Glamour

"It is a rare work of fiction so fascinating that a reader comes to the last sentence and immediately wants to begin the story again. But the characters in The Snow Falcon . . . become as close as old friends. "

——Des Moines Sunday Register

"Artfully crafted and engagingly written . . . emotional and romantic. "

——Ft. Lauderdale Sunday Sentinel

"Harrison . . . writes superbly of the northern forests, of falcons, of the people and their pain and happiness. "

——San Antonio Express—News

"This is a beautiful, lyrical ode to a magnificent bird of prey and a novel of forgiveness and redemption . . . Highly recommended. "

——Library Journal

"Suspense, tenderness and enough twists to whet a reader's appetite . . . [Stuart Harrison has] done a magnificent job of making the characters real. "

——Naples Daily News

"There's plenty to like about this tale: intriguing tales about falcons and falconry, suspense, a dash of romance, and a handsome hero. "

——Booklist