Tom Gallant

Set in the vestiges of a small rural community in Big Woods, Arkansas, this elegant, elegiac novel follows a lonely widower who spends his time farming, building wooden canoes, and paddling through the hardwood swamps in solitude. On one such canoe trip, he catches a fleeting glimpse of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and takes it as a miracle. When the world finds out about the sighting, scientists and strangers arrive to mount a proper search, and advertisements for everything from Ivory Bill-themed t-shirts to burgers and haircuts start cropping up in the local town. As the story unfolds and searchers armed with cameras begin to invade the far reaches of the swamps, we also become privy to the inner thoughts of the Lord God Bird himself.