Evans, Nicholas

(British, 1950– )

Nicholas Evans worked as a screenwriter and film producer for many years before turning to fiction. His debut novel, The Horse Whisperer (1995) is the story of a woman traumatized by a riding accident, and the effect on her of the gentle horse-trainer, Tom Booker, whose combination of rugged sensitivity and spiritual strength slowly changes her life. The Loop (1998) repeats this successful formula, and centres on a woman protecting a pack of wolves returning to its traditional terrain in Montana. As the superstitious fears of the local townsfolk grow, her efforts win over the son of her most formidable opponent and the fate of the wolves become linked to the book's central romance. Evans's writing is characterized by finely tuned observation of the natural and emotional worlds he creates.

David Guterson, Cormac McCarthy, E. Annie Proulx. See ROMANCE  WB