Choosing Yellowstone: A Novel

In Choosing Yellowstone, Professor Elaine Flaherty's opportunity to teach journaling in Yellowstone National Park conflicts with her plan to volunteer with her partner at a Syrian refugee camp. Elaine and Pam must come to a decision that serves their personal needs yet honors their relationship of fifteen years. Elaine chooses Yellowstone while Pam flies to the Middle East. Through emails, they eloquently share details of their summer apart—and worry that something could go wrong. Something does. And Elaine's misogynist English Department chair makes everything even worse. * * * * "Douglas' book is more than a simple love story; it also aims to examine the choices that people make and how they affect others in their lives.... A sharp, emotional drama of separation." Kirkus Reviews "This wonderfully wide-ranging novel intertwines and makes tangible the bounty, the ineffable beauty and transformative power of nature within the perspective of great loss. A complex, humane, deeply intelligent story confronts mental illness, explores life and love and the piercing aftermath of loss, and in the process pulls our greatest bard into a spotlight of accessible revelation in ways you've never encountered William Shakespeare. In Choosing Yellowstone, Carol Anne Douglas has drawn on the deepest of reservoirs, the learned wisdom of her lifetime, and has shared it with us." -- Katherine V. Forrest, author of Curious Wine "Choosing Yellowstone is a rich story of living with the consequences of one's decisions. Using the breathtaking beauty of America's premier national park and the petty politics of academia as background, Carol Anne Douglas explores the strains on a relationship when life partners want to follow their personal dreams—one of teaching in Yellowstone, the other serving in a Syrian refugee camp. With masterly skill, Carol Anne Douglas weaves together the touching, funny, and painful threads of lives well-lived and well-intentioned. " -- Becky Bohan, Author of A Light on Altered Land "I expected a historical novel. It is so much more. In this story of more mature lesbians, life, love, and choices, Ms Douglas did not shy away from difficult moments. This story is thought-provoking. I highly recommend this nuanced story." -- Mercedes Lewis, author of Glimpses of a Fractured Soul "Travel with Professor Elaine Flaherty to Yellowstone. Along with her excitement to teach there, she has some worries. The love of her life, Pam Finch, is in Jordan working with refugees. A bit risky. The chair of Elaine's English department has tentacles that are long and dangerous. And the park itself presents its own risks. Follow this brave woman and see if any of her worries come true. It is definitely worth the journey." -- Camarin Grae, author of The Secret in the Bird and Edgewise