Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. It's easy to be romanced by

The American West, you know? I'm an East Coast city person born and raised in New York,

and so I've always thought about the West as this mythical, beautiful place with nothing but

the sky in your dreams. But of course, reality is a lot grittier than that.

Callan Wink's novel, Beartooth, is committed to showing the real West, the true West, if you will.

The book follows these two brothers who are broke living near Yellowstone National Park.

And Callan tells here and knows Peter O'Dowd that that part of America has recently been perceived as a playground for rich people.

But there are real people there who can be driven to desperate ends.

That's coming up.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind

closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you

stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

The new novel Beartooth is about two brothers living on the edge of Yellowstone National Park.

They're also living on the edge of desperation.

Their father has died.

The medical bills have piled up.

The roof on the family cabin is leaking.

To keep their home,

the brothers embark on a journey into the park that will put their lives and their future at even greater risk. The New York Times calls Beartooth impressive and says fans of the hit

TV show Yellowstone should skip the screen and check out this book instead. Author Callan Wink joins me now.

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