Now that the sun’s come out and we’re truly in the doldrums of August, aren’t you ready for a hang-on-to-your-hat read to temper that slow downward roll into autumn? Novelist Elisabeth Hyde to the rescue: In the Heart of the Canyon, her new, many-voiced, adrenaline-charged thriller on the rocks, takes the dynamics of river-rafting right over a waterfall in the space of, oh, three-hundred pages and then some. In it, a somewhat ragtag group comes together for a textbook-ride-gone-awry through the Grand Canyon, with Hyde expertly handling a fusion of character study, vivid scenery and breathlessness throughout the denouement. It’s guaranteed rush for these dog days.
Jumpstart your end-of-summer ritual: Hyde will read from and sign copies of In the Heart of the Canyon tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 East Colfax Avenue. Get details at www.tatteredcover.com or call 303-322-7727.
For more ways to rock the night and kill the day, go to westword.com/calendar.
