Gideon Pickett was born without the ability to speak. This has never bothered his father, Jubal. A single father for most of the child’s upbringing, he understands his son better than anybody, and though the boy has never uttered a word, the two could be no closer.

But Gideon is no ordinary child.

Over the years, Gideon has developed an extraordinary quality, something prescient and almost other-worldly. As far as Jubal is concerned, though, Gideon is just a moody, hungry, sixteen-year-old kid. Jubal would die for his boy, and he’ll do anything to make the best possible life for him. So, in 1953, Jubal Pickett makes the decision to sell his family farm in Mississippi, buy a red Ford Flathead V-8 truck, and travel to the desert canyon lands of Utah with Gideon to strike it rich in uranium prospecting. On their journey, they encounter Abilene Breedlove, a country girl-meets-femme fatale. Jubal is smitten. Abilene sees only opportunity, but joyfully jumps into her end of the bargain. They agree to a partnership, and Abilene climbs aboard.

Things begin to fall apart when they arrive in Utah. While Jubal sets out on what most consider being a fool’s errand, Abilene finds herself a job and Jack Savage. Jack is handsome, mysterious, rich and powerful—all qualities Abilene finds irresistible. He cuts Jubal in on a claim he owns in order to get the man out of town as fast as possible so that he can begin aggressively pursuing the intoxicating Abilene. It’s not long before the situation gets out of hand.

Stephen Foreman received his BA from Morgan State and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and taught writing and literature and various universities before moving to California to work as a screenwriter and director. Having trekked across the Alaskan wilderness, bush-whacked through tropical rain forests and hunted for gold mines in Arizona, he now makes his home in the Catskill Mountains with his wife and two children. His first novel, Toehold, is about the residents of a small town in Alaska, an odd collection of eccentric souls reveling in the fierceness of the land and determined to live life on their own terms. In one critic’s opinion, Foreman paints a vivid picture of the harshness of the Alaskan wilderness, and his prose works best in the service of portraying humans and their struggles in that wilderness … the book held my attention and entertained me. I was left wanting to know more about the characters, and I have a feeling that this will not be the last novel set in the town of Toehold, Alaska.”

With his new novel, Watching Gideon, Stephen Foreman has once again created a masterpiece in character study. The book is at once a poignant, moving portrait of a nearly supernatural bond between father and son, a snapshot of America’s rugged, gritty history, and a fast-paced story of lust, green, and self-satisfaction. Filled with humor, adventure, sex and intrigue, Watching Gideon is the textured, incredible, stark tale of the cost of an American Dream pursued. It is also a jewel of a novel.

Stephen Foreman will be at the Village Square Bookstore in Hunter on Saturday, November 21. Call 518 263 2050 or visit www.catskillmtn.org for more information.