Brook Trout and the Writing Life is an autobiography in which the essential way of giving thanks and of appreciating life is through fishing. From the first brook trout the author catches to the most recent, this book is a paean to the beauty of the fish and an emblem of the good things in life. The brookie is a constant, something that mitigates against the passage of time, defending against events we would like to forget. But, as Nova fishes for them in Maine, New York, and Vermont, they become a graceful embodiment of the important moments in his life -- falling in love, having children, making friends, writing novels. The worlds commingle. His life intertwines with his love of clear brooks and the jewellike brook trout. And while the book explores the best of the author's fishing experiences in all their delicious detail, as well as his giving thanks, it also looks into the darker moments -- as when Nova found himself wearing a bullet-proof vest provided by the F.B.I. Brook Trout and the Writing Life is part autobiography, part fishing literature, all imbued with a sense of the delight and mystery in moving water and wild brookies. This is a gem of a book, by one of America's finest novelists.