Books like East of the mountains by David Guterson

Ben Givens, a recently widowed retired heart surgeon with terminal colon cancer, defies the certainty of his impending death by setting out on one final hunt across the mythical landscapes of the American West—sage deserts, yawning canyons, dusty ranches, and vast orchards. Driven by a stubborn refusal to succumb to suffering, Ben is accompanied only by his two hunting dogs as he navigates the harsh realities of his illness and the painful memories of a promise he made to his wife Rachel during World War II. Along the way, he encounters a diverse array of characters—a youthful couple, a drifter offering unsettling advice, a skilled veterinarian, a rancher intent on destruction, and a migrant worker—each interaction challenging his sense of self and testing the limits of his intervention. The journey forces Ben to confront the mystery of life, the persistence of memory, and the ultimate questions of meaning and identity as he faces his own mortality.

First publish date: 1999