Encounters With Old Coyote

by

Laura Koerber

Quiet and thoughtful tales of a life well-lived and what comes after.

Encounters With Old Coyote, a new novella by author Laura Koerber, is the story of a life, the existence of a higher being and afterlife, nature, and our place in all of it. After receiving a diagnosis of cancer, Andrea commits a gentle suicide under the stars in a favorite out-of-the-way campsite, simply expecting oblivion. However, she becomes aware that she is now in an afterlife she never believed existed. As she floats above her lifeless body, Old Coyote, a supernatural spirit dubbed the Trickster, arrives at her remote and final fireside and subtly starts her on her next journey with a story. As Old Coyote explains, “…that’s how people understand things. By telling stories.” 

Andrea does the storytelling, and readers get clear images of the life she’s led over the past 70-plus years. Although seemingly a random collection of memories, each one is a gem depicting a journey taken during her lifetime, some in which she makes an impact on another person or creature and others which impacted her. The stories range from sojourns in the natural world to a dark, eerie dream to a childhood road trip with her family and a bizarre late-night encounter at a suddenly and frightening remote campground. The settings are vividly descriptive, with desert beauty and dusty, dry heat, barely navigable, rocky two-tracks, and colorful yet stark canyonlands. Andrean tries to elicit direct answers from her odd spirit guide with these memories from her life but ultimately ends up with more questions from him. Eventually, acceptance seems to be the key to what comes next. 

I recommend ENCOUNTERS WITH OLD COYOTE to readers who enjoy stories with magical realism. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.