Rufous and Calliope

Description

The mysteries of nature collide with the fragile threads of memory in this atmospheric novel that navigates deep into the rugged wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

Rufous Flanagan, a modern-day cartographer, embarks on a solo trek through an ancient mountain pass in search of the summer hideaway he once shared with his siblings as child runaways. With every step, the vast, untamed wilderness presents both physical and emotional challenges, forcing Rufous to confront not only the treacherous terrain but also the unravelling of his own mind.

His memories–sometimes vivid, sometimes slipping away–become a map guiding him through towering forests, dry creek beds and smoke-filled skies. In this landscape, not everything is as it seems: echoes of the past lead Rufous on a journey that blurs the line between dream and reality. As the elements close in, this novel offers a suspenseful tale of survival, memory and family bonds.

Binding Type: Paperback
Author: Sarah Louise Butler
Published: 06/02/2026
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
ISBN: 9781771624572
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 0.80″ H x 8.90″ L x 6.00″ W

About the Author
Butler, Sarah Louise: –

Sarah Louise Butler is a novelist based in the West Kootenay region of the BC Interior. With a background in physical geography and environmental studies, her stories seek to portray natural landscapes and their non-human inhabitants as characters in their own right. Her debut novel, The Wild Heavens, was a 49th Shelf Book of the Year, and a favourite of book clubs and libraries across the country, including being chosen as a Vancouver Public Library Top 20 Favourite Books of 2020. It was recently translated and released in France. Her second novel, Rufous and Calliope, is a “geographical fiction” that features runaway children, treehouse hideaways, early-onset dementia and the persistence of hope amidst ecological grief. Butler was named a CBC Writer to Watch in 2020. Follow her on Instagram: @sarahlouise.butler. She lives in Nelson, BC.