Peter Heller: The Painter

Following up on the success of "The Dog Stars," his post-apocalyptic literary debut of 2012, Peter Heller now pivots in a slightly different direction with "The Painter" — a contemporary Western about a 45-year-old artist and fly fisherman named Jim Stegner. Having lost two wives to divorce and his only daughter to violence, Stegner has felt the sting of life; but he’s also capable of experiencing great beauty, whether through his art, his relationships, or while out casting on a river. Heller skillfully balances these two sides of his protagonist, painting a portrait of a man whose dark edge can explode in unexpected ways (the first line of The Painter is "I never imagined I would shoot a man”). Peter Heller is an award-winning adventure writer and the author of four books of literary nonfiction. His books include "Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River," "The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals," and "What Surfing Taught Me about Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave." Peter is also a longtime contributor to NPR, a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and Men's Journal, and a frequent contributor to Businessweek.