when the mountains called

by shannon baker

Illustrations by sarah christolini

Twenty-five years after his wife Pearl's passing, long-time recluse Andrew must finally confront the grief that has kept him numb and isolated in the rolling foothills of his ranch cabin property. In a moment of fiction meeting reality, Andrew finds himself estranged from the sequestered life he has always known and thus begins a journey to find his Pearl in “Death”: a world characterized by mountains, a Valley, fire-watching Elders, a timeless traveling companion, burning houses, and corduroy pants. Like Jesus, and like the mountains in the story, the gentle nudge of When the Mountains Called is to “Come and see” and consider what it really means to live in hope.

praise for When the mountains called

A crumbling fence. Fireflies beyond a cracked window. The burning house. I seldom cry over a book, but Tacito’s reluctant quest intrigued, then disarmed, my heart. Come, smell the sacred obsidian fire stoked by laughter; witness the mystical, midriver girl in her swirl of black skirts. Eavesdrop on burly Macario, wise and unlikely guide: “Words resurrect the dead. . . . And stories give them a place to stay.” I loved this tale of unearthing, told with the cadence of myth, the pearlescence of truth. O how our “words matter—when [we dare] to share them.”

—LAURIE KLEIN, author of House of 49 Doors: Entries in a Life

Baker weaves a lovely and elegiac mystery that takes the reader by the hand and leads them with skill and confidence through the darkest paths of the grieving human heart to glimpse what lies beyond.

—MIKE BONIKOWSKY, author of The Shepherd of Princes

Shannon Baker’s When the Mountains Called pulls you in like an afternoon daydream, with each page a rock overturned and a galaxy lurking underneath. Losing Pearl, greater than anything— including his own life—thrusts Andrew into a figurative death where he chokes out any remembrance of his wife. But the mountains call, so Andrew follows. Soon, you discover your journey paralleling Andrew’s.

As you trek through grief’s valley, plateau, and mountaintop, you discover a surprising balm for the sorrowful heart: “Words resurrect.” During Andrew’s journey, you learn storytelling’s profound vitality for the grief-stricken, revealing the heart’s capacity to hold grief and gratefulness in tandem. Though gone from the living, Pearl teaches Andrew how to live and honor those dear, showing that the stories we live, remember, and share with others truly heal.

This is a must-read-in-one-sitting book, for the mountains do not call just to Andrew—the mountains are calling you, too.

—MEGAN HUWA, author and editor

Deep allegory, artfully unwrapped. A healing discovery. When the Mountains Called is both intriguing and enchanting. Shannon in- vites us to revivify wonder long lost and to engage with life pur- posefully. Richly colorful and insightful, this contemplative novella empowers our return to a fresh and joyful life well lived.

—CURT LINVILLE, author, entrepreneur, amateur philosopher

Author Shannon Baker invites her readers on an unforgettable journey, brilliantly and on the edge of poetically connecting the dots and blurring the lines between a glorious and magical vision of the afterlife with a very real and heartfelt quest for healing from grief. . . and for hope. The river is safe, and this skillfully crafted and inspired story will sing to your soul.

—MIKE HOUSHOLDER, Senior Pastor of Lutheran Church of Hope

A talented writer and storyteller, Shannon has a gift for words and creating visual imagery. In that light, When the Moun- tains Called is a haunting and spiritual tale that draws you in as you accompany the main character on a thought-provok- ing journey filled with grief, discovery, understanding and, eventually, healing.

—MARK YONTZ, communications professional, author & ghostwriter

about the author