Brook Trout and the Writing Life is a brief and brilliant autobiography in which the worlds of the fisherman and the novelist commingle. From the first brookie the author catches to the most recent, this book is a paean to the beauty of brook trout and their place in his life. The brookie is a constant. 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. His life intertwines with his passion for clear brooks and the lovely brook trout. And while the book explores the best of the author's fishing experiences in all their delicious detail, it also looks into the darker moments - as when Nova found himself forced to wear a bulletproof vest provided by the F.B.I. Brook Trout and the Writing Life is part autobiography and part fishing literature, 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.