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Small Animals Caught in Traps
"Small Animals Caught in Traps" tells the story of Lewis Yaw, a troubled flyfishing guide trying to help his daughter Grayling find her way in the world even as he’s losing his own. It’s also the story of a daughter trying to save her father from drowning. The danger of trying to save someone from drowning is that you can get pulled down too, and sometimes your only choice is to let go.
“The wildest things aren’t in the forests or jungles, or even in the shadows,” Lewis tells Gray. “They’re inside us, and we spend our lives building cages—work, marriage, friendships, families—to contain them.”
Theirs is a story soaked with the cold rain that falls endlessly on Disappointment, Oregon, the runt of a town where it takes place. But rays of humor and beauty shine through, and ultimately this is a book about hope.
“The wildest things aren’t in the forests or jungles, or even in the shadows,” Lewis tells Gray. “They’re inside us, and we spend our lives building cages—work, marriage, friendships, families—to contain them.”
Theirs is a story soaked with the cold rain that falls endlessly on Disappointment, Oregon, the runt of a town where it takes place. But rays of humor and beauty shine through, and ultimately this is a book about hope.
318 pages, Hardcover
Published April 4, 2023
45 people are currently reading
2440 people want to read
About the author
C.B. Bernard
4 books53 followersC.B. Bernard is the author of Ordinary Bear (Blackstone 2024), which won the Barry Award for Best First Mystery or Crime Novel; Small Animals Caught in Traps (Blackstone, April 2023); and Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now, a finalist for the Oregon Book Award, a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Travel Pick, and a National Geographic top travel choice. He lives on the Rhode Island coast.
Learn more at http://cbbernard.com
Learn more at http://cbbernard.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 17, 2024
Wow. Just wow. Atmospheric. Heart-breaking. Beautiful.
The story of a girl. Of a man. Of a family. Of tragedies and how to bear up under them.
The sweet tale of a man’s love for his only child. The story of a man with a tragic past. A tale of a girl growing up. Interspersed with the background of our leading man starting life anew with his sweet young wife.
Highly recommended. Bring your tissues.
P.S. This author truly brings the Pacific Northwest to life. As well as life on Oregon’s river.
Let the “bookover” commence. 😢
The story of a girl. Of a man. Of a family. Of tragedies and how to bear up under them.
The sweet tale of a man’s love for his only child. The story of a man with a tragic past. A tale of a girl growing up. Interspersed with the background of our leading man starting life anew with his sweet young wife.
Highly recommended. Bring your tissues.
P.S. This author truly brings the Pacific Northwest to life. As well as life on Oregon’s river.
Let the “bookover” commence. 😢
March 17, 2023
Small Animals Caught in Traps by CB Bernard. Thanks to @blackstonepublishing for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lewis broke through a childhood of violence and is now married with his own child. He sees this as his change to right past wrongs. When tragedy strikes, his daughter is the one to fight for family.
There is a lot about fishing and nature in this story that bogged it down a little for me but the story itself was good. I like family stories and this one really showed how ones past childhood and history can affect their relationship with their own children. There was a lot of work through in this story and it was a change for me that the main character was not just a man, but a “manly man”.. fishing and hunting, etc. If you are an animal fan and don’t want to read about some bad animal situations, you may want to skip this one.
“The wildest things aren’t in the forests or jungles, or even in the shadows. They’re inside us. We spend our lives a building cages - work, marriage, friendships, families - to contain them.”
Small Animals Caught in Traps comes out 4/4.
Lewis broke through a childhood of violence and is now married with his own child. He sees this as his change to right past wrongs. When tragedy strikes, his daughter is the one to fight for family.
There is a lot about fishing and nature in this story that bogged it down a little for me but the story itself was good. I like family stories and this one really showed how ones past childhood and history can affect their relationship with their own children. There was a lot of work through in this story and it was a change for me that the main character was not just a man, but a “manly man”.. fishing and hunting, etc. If you are an animal fan and don’t want to read about some bad animal situations, you may want to skip this one.
“The wildest things aren’t in the forests or jungles, or even in the shadows. They’re inside us. We spend our lives a building cages - work, marriage, friendships, families - to contain them.”
Small Animals Caught in Traps comes out 4/4.
April 15, 2023
Really 4.5
Not a happy book, but an utterly absorbing examination of a man trying to move past a horrible childhood to make a better future.
Lewis Yaw moved to a small town in Oregon to get as far away as possible from his abusive father and rough childhood. Before he was even settled, he asked his girlfriend (who was raised in the foster system) to join him. Together they plan to restart history and make a new life for themselves.
The story is not told chronologically, so I don't want to say too much that will ruin the careful way we learn about Lewis; his wife, Janie; their daughter, Gray; and other people in their town, particularly Fenwick, Lewis's best friend.
What I can say is that Lewis struggles. He loves his family and his life as a fly fishing guide. At heart he's a good guy, but he was given little resources and only a shaky foundation. So much of his ideas of what it is to be a man were formulated by his widowed father and by his experiences in the boxing ring. He drinks too much, likely suffers from depression or PTSD or both. Sometimes he can keep everything inside and in check, but his reserves are thin and he has little in him to cope with certain types of crises. He can sometimes find it hard to live by his own principles.
The writing is atmospheric. The events center around Lewis and his family, with some descriptions of the wilderness and the city folks who come out to fish. It's easy to connect with the characters, even if you have nothing in common with them. I was completely drawn in and found it hard to stop listening to the book.
This is the kind of book that you'll think about time and again. You'll wonder about the future of the characters after the story ends. Again, this is not an uplifting book, but likely one of the most memorable of the year.
One piece of advice: DO NOT read the publisher's summary. It kind of ruins the book. I wish I hadn't read it; I can only imagine how much more I would have loved this book if I had gone in blind.
The audiobook was performed by Chris Henry Coffey, who set the mood and respected the author's style. He wisely stayed away from distinct and unique characterizations, allowing me to form my own ideas about the characters and their personalities. This is only the second time I've heard Coffey's work via an audiobook, but now I want to hear more.
Thanks to Libro.fm for the review copy.
Not a happy book, but an utterly absorbing examination of a man trying to move past a horrible childhood to make a better future.
Lewis Yaw moved to a small town in Oregon to get as far away as possible from his abusive father and rough childhood. Before he was even settled, he asked his girlfriend (who was raised in the foster system) to join him. Together they plan to restart history and make a new life for themselves.
The story is not told chronologically, so I don't want to say too much that will ruin the careful way we learn about Lewis; his wife, Janie; their daughter, Gray; and other people in their town, particularly Fenwick, Lewis's best friend.
What I can say is that Lewis struggles. He loves his family and his life as a fly fishing guide. At heart he's a good guy, but he was given little resources and only a shaky foundation. So much of his ideas of what it is to be a man were formulated by his widowed father and by his experiences in the boxing ring. He drinks too much, likely suffers from depression or PTSD or both. Sometimes he can keep everything inside and in check, but his reserves are thin and he has little in him to cope with certain types of crises. He can sometimes find it hard to live by his own principles.
The writing is atmospheric. The events center around Lewis and his family, with some descriptions of the wilderness and the city folks who come out to fish. It's easy to connect with the characters, even if you have nothing in common with them. I was completely drawn in and found it hard to stop listening to the book.
This is the kind of book that you'll think about time and again. You'll wonder about the future of the characters after the story ends. Again, this is not an uplifting book, but likely one of the most memorable of the year.
One piece of advice: DO NOT read the publisher's summary. It kind of ruins the book. I wish I hadn't read it; I can only imagine how much more I would have loved this book if I had gone in blind.
The audiobook was performed by Chris Henry Coffey, who set the mood and respected the author's style. He wisely stayed away from distinct and unique characterizations, allowing me to form my own ideas about the characters and their personalities. This is only the second time I've heard Coffey's work via an audiobook, but now I want to hear more.
Thanks to Libro.fm for the review copy.
August 29, 2023
Lewis Yaw grew up in the far back east, and his life did not start out well when he lost a mother at a very young age and had to grow up with a who regrets him every day. Lewis's father abuses often even more, so when Lewis witnesses his father at his weakest moments. His father believes that physically fighting your own child is acceptable as it is just another form of communication. Thanks to a teacher who sees a chance in Lewis, he is referred to a therapist, which turns out to be a boxing gym. Lewis finds that this can be a place of escape and ends up being a somewhat successful boxer. He finds that within this environment, he realizes he can be something more. Eventually Lewis finds his way out and ends up in Disappointment, Oregon where he has exchanged the life of a fighter for the life as a fishing guide where he and his wife Janey who is the sun in his world try to make a better life. When they have their child and see's that it is not the son he hoped for. He heads the advice of a nurse in the delivery room when he mentions how he wanted a son and now what is he going to do, and she tells him teach his daughter and she will do these things better than any man. While Lewis raises his daughter, he is haunted by his past as he does not want to repeat the past and be like his father, who does not want to be that guy. This is the type of read that compels you to finish it in one day and it has been a while since I have had a book do that but be warned there are some dark spots in this story and in my opinion gut-wrenching at times. I do not know if my review does this book justice, but i will definitely recommend this book to everyone i know. Give it a read. If you have a heart, this just may bring a tear to your eye.
June 4, 2023
A really good book is one where you keep thinking about the characters when you put it down and are eager to pick it up again. Great dialogue and beautifully written. There's a lot of good stuff packed into its 300 pages
April 10, 2023
Punchy prose bursting with wit and sarcasm. I truly cared about and felt I knew main characters Lewis, Janey, Gray and Fenwick. Gut-wrenching and ultimately hopeful. Life travels full circle.
September 6, 2023
I feel like I missed the point of this book. I read the entire book as it is well written, but it just made me feel sad.
May 23, 2023
Don’t Be That Guy
More than small animals can get caught in traps. Lewis Yaw can never truly escapes the brutal father he is determined not to be. Except for occasional periods of depression, he enjoys a satisfying life as an Oregon fishing guide, living close to nature with a wife and daughter, whom he deeply loves, as different from his father as possible
When things go bad, however, he cannot cope, depends onOld Crow to numb the pain, and ironically becomes “that guy” his father had warned him about. “Sone fighters had a glass jaw. Lewis feared he had a glass heart.”
C.B. Bernard write with style and grace, his prose almost poetry depicting the natural world or stark when msketching the realities of the complex human heart.
The gift is wise sayings: “Don’t be that guy.” “History begins with us.” “Luck is just something you pin your failures on.” “Some fish may be too small to keep but no victory is.”
A bonus is all the information about fly fishing and tying flies.
More than small animals can get caught in traps. Lewis Yaw can never truly escapes the brutal father he is determined not to be. Except for occasional periods of depression, he enjoys a satisfying life as an Oregon fishing guide, living close to nature with a wife and daughter, whom he deeply loves, as different from his father as possible
When things go bad, however, he cannot cope, depends onOld Crow to numb the pain, and ironically becomes “that guy” his father had warned him about. “Sone fighters had a glass jaw. Lewis feared he had a glass heart.”
C.B. Bernard write with style and grace, his prose almost poetry depicting the natural world or stark when msketching the realities of the complex human heart.
The gift is wise sayings: “Don’t be that guy.” “History begins with us.” “Luck is just something you pin your failures on.” “Some fish may be too small to keep but no victory is.”
A bonus is all the information about fly fishing and tying flies.
July 5, 2023
The rare novel centered on a silent, stoic, small-town, old-school man’s man that refuses to fetishize the type. In fact, through the eyes of his teen daughter, we see how such men are limited, and no more so when it falls for them to be present and perseverant in the face of heartbreak and loss. A lot of men assume stoicism in the face of unbearable burdens, and a lot of them are incapable of holding up the mask for long, and when the mask falls, so does the man, and the world moves on, and so will the daughter. Which in its own way is the greatest tragedy and triumph of this story told in sensitive but never sentimental high style. A worthy entry into the canon of Pacific Northwest literature alongside the works of Ivan Doig, Tom Robbins, Ken Kesey, David James Duncan, Jonathan Evison and Smith Henderson.
February 19, 2023
The way this was written, I really felt bad for the characters throughout the story. It seemed like they just couldn't catch a break. Just when something sad happened and I'd think they'd be in recovery mode for a bit, they'd get hit with something else.
The only thing that I didn't care for was how in depth it got with the details of fishing. To be fair, the main characters are fishing guides and that's stated in the synopsis, I just didn't expect to go into so much detail of fishing. I have no interest in fishing, so these parts didn't add anything for me, but I'd imagine anyone who knows/enjoys fishing would enjoy them.
The only thing that I didn't care for was how in depth it got with the details of fishing. To be fair, the main characters are fishing guides and that's stated in the synopsis, I just didn't expect to go into so much detail of fishing. I have no interest in fishing, so these parts didn't add anything for me, but I'd imagine anyone who knows/enjoys fishing would enjoy them.
April 12, 2023
This book is a stunning, intense and beautiful journey into family dynamics and the human condition. Whether we want to admit it or not, our pasts and childhoods shape who we are at the core. CB Bernard’s exquisite narrative provides the reader with a visual accompaniment to this flawless story. Foreshadowing is subtle as layers of the onion are slowly peeled away. I wholeheartedly recommend this gem of a novel to anyone who needs to be reminded of the importance of unconditional love, hope, and the free will and perseverance required to break cycles of family history. And if you don’t need to be reminded of any of that, read it anyway – it will be time well spent.
March 6, 2023
I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this debut and am still in its grips. While Bernard’s gorgeous, deft prose are something to admire on their own, it’s the characters and their particular sufferings, humors, and hopes that won’t let go. Not to mention the setting, which is so expertly crafted it becomes a character unto itself. Hilarious and gut-wrenching in turns, SACIT is reminiscent of masterpieces like A River Runs Through It and Manchester by the Sea. I loved it.
June 15, 2023
I really liked this book! It was in the break room at work—I think an Advanced Readers copy—so I borrowed it because I liked the teaser on the back cover. A well developed character study. And also, this author can write. He had a unique turn of phrase. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes outdoor adventures, who lives in the Pacific Northwest, or who just likes a compelling story.
April 9, 2023
I really enjoyed this story. It was really very sad. Guy lived a life of violence. And then finds love. But doesn’t know how to really show it. Anyway. I don’t want to be a spoiler. So I just say it was a really good read.
June 24, 2023
Bernard’s brutal and poignant debut novel wrestles with resignation and hope, love and violence. It’s a book of coexisting opposites. Like the blood flowing through a clenched fist or a hug squeezed too tightly.
August 6, 2023
Lewis Yaw, husband, father, friend,. As hard as he tries he cannot escape his brutal childhood.
This book is beautifully written, which I think makes this story even sadder. I cried through many chapters but there were funny and happy times.
This book is beautifully written, which I think makes this story even sadder. I cried through many chapters but there were funny and happy times.
October 12, 2023
I didn’t like this novel. It has no plot. It was full of pain and suffering and heartache. The ending was sad. The switch partway between the internal voices of father, then daughter, was smooth and well done. The juxtaposition of two POVs of the same moment was moving and sorrowful for their disconnection from each other. But honestly, I had to force myself to pick up each night, because I did not like having to deal with his demons, because he couldn’t deal with his demons.
May 27, 2023
It’s going to memorable but it was dark. Dark!
August 2, 2023
Heartrending. Beautiful. Harsh and poignant. God damn I did NOT expect this book to be this heartfelt.
November 11, 2023
Big fan of C.B. Bernard - an artful, often sarcastic and usually funny writer. Though I wouldn’t call this a “funny” book, it is very engaging.
February 22, 2024
Pretty good read - well written with some interesting-and quirky characters. Loved the fishing guide storyline. Not so convinced by Lewis’s story. Completely understand his desire to escape his childhood but I can’t believe that anyone would take their child camping and attempt to commit suicide in front of them! And then when tragedy strikes, to be so self indulgent as to completely abandon the grieving child? Thank goodness Grey is such a strong character. Not sure of the outcome of her journey back East - at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
Not much good news in this book.Not sure what I gained by reading it. Did finish it though.
September 9, 2023
This was tough. I had to claw my way through to the end. Way too much “filler” and not enough “meat.”
March 24, 2024
This one didn’t to it for me. It was pretty depressing and filled with sadness. Even the ending.
March 30, 2024
If you feel like spiraling down a dark hole of despair and depression, while watching nearly every major character die—even those that came before the story started and even those that aren’t even human—do I have the book for you! But perhaps I lead you astray by saying “depression.” Small Animals Caught in Traps is more for the “wallower” in us. For me, “wallowing” means exploring dark thoughts and feelings, whereas “depression” means being swallowed by them. So if you feel like exploring a childhood that was unkind and an adulthood where the unkind things just keep on coming…do I have a book for you!
Unfortunately, for many of us, we don’t have to imagine what an unkind childhood might feel like, which is why I must leave a warning here. What I find unique about Bernard’s novel, however, is that instead of focusing on the horror of child abuse, the story centers itself on our adult survivor and protagonist, Lewis. Lewis, like many of us who get real quiet when asked about our childhoods, struggles to feel as if he deserves the happiness he’s found with a wife and daughter. Struggles to feel as if he belongs in a world that others seem to navigate so easily. And in all of his struggles, threatens to lose everything in his adulthood that he so longed for as a child.
Read Small Animals Caught in Traps for the beauty the author infuses into a story soaked in cruelty and grief. The descriptions of the river and how Lewis feels when he fishes are easily worth the whole book. Read the book also to appreciate how deftly the author moves from one POV to another in a way that reflects the reality of everyone’s different, but shared, experiences. And DON’T read the book for the at least one unforgiveable plot line decision you’ll find about half way through—no spoilers, so message me when you find it so we can vent together!
Unfortunately, for many of us, we don’t have to imagine what an unkind childhood might feel like, which is why I must leave a warning here. What I find unique about Bernard’s novel, however, is that instead of focusing on the horror of child abuse, the story centers itself on our adult survivor and protagonist, Lewis. Lewis, like many of us who get real quiet when asked about our childhoods, struggles to feel as if he deserves the happiness he’s found with a wife and daughter. Struggles to feel as if he belongs in a world that others seem to navigate so easily. And in all of his struggles, threatens to lose everything in his adulthood that he so longed for as a child.
Read Small Animals Caught in Traps for the beauty the author infuses into a story soaked in cruelty and grief. The descriptions of the river and how Lewis feels when he fishes are easily worth the whole book. Read the book also to appreciate how deftly the author moves from one POV to another in a way that reflects the reality of everyone’s different, but shared, experiences. And DON’T read the book for the at least one unforgiveable plot line decision you’ll find about half way through—no spoilers, so message me when you find it so we can vent together!
June 2, 2025
This book started as a hammock read during a camping trip last August at Pawtuckaway State Park, and became months of off and on reading with my schedule through multiple laundromat waits, and I ended it back in Maine on our third floor deck. The back half of this book was incredibly hard to stomach, and I put it down for the move, only to pick it up and devour the end.
When you realize you understand intrinsically why Lewis is the way he is, because a part of you has experienced what he has and a part of you intrinsically understands the drive and even the inner bitterness associated that can sometimes creep in— and even the joy that moving halfway across the country with the love of your life to escape your upbringing and start anew , and how he is a massive warning to “not be that guy “ and actually do the work to not be Lewis. But also his daughter was a massive metaphor to my early twenties… anyways I’ve never wanted to cry or throw a book harder across a room than I did with the back half of this read; but damnit it was an amazing read. Thank you for being the excellent writer and human that you are and I’m forever grateful that my wife ended up with an internship that lead us to meeting you. I hope you’re well, and I am so stoked to read Ordinary Bear (actually Korra is finishing that and we’re going to swap who’s reading what when she’s finished). TLDR; this book was a weirdly needed read on the back half of a weird five years.
When you realize you understand intrinsically why Lewis is the way he is, because a part of you has experienced what he has and a part of you intrinsically understands the drive and even the inner bitterness associated that can sometimes creep in— and even the joy that moving halfway across the country with the love of your life to escape your upbringing and start anew , and how he is a massive warning to “not be that guy “ and actually do the work to not be Lewis. But also his daughter was a massive metaphor to my early twenties… anyways I’ve never wanted to cry or throw a book harder across a room than I did with the back half of this read; but damnit it was an amazing read. Thank you for being the excellent writer and human that you are and I’m forever grateful that my wife ended up with an internship that lead us to meeting you. I hope you’re well, and I am so stoked to read Ordinary Bear (actually Korra is finishing that and we’re going to swap who’s reading what when she’s finished). TLDR; this book was a weirdly needed read on the back half of a weird five years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2023
Small Animals Caught in Traps by C. B. Bernard
This book is a gritty meditation on the difficulties of defeating childhood trauma. Former boxer and current fishing guide Lewis Yaw is stuck reliving the worst parts of his past while both dreaming and awake, and is unable to focus on his family. As his daughter Grayling grows up to become his apprentice, and proves herself to be as fiercely independent as her father, Lewis spirals within a murky cage of memories, afraid to see history repeat itself.
This is a book where a lot of action occurs, but becomes meaningless because it also feels like nothing happens. In my opinion, the plot was too predictable. The target audience of this book is obviously male, but I don’t know if it will find that audience ready and willing to read this book, because it’s such a slow burn. It is a bloody and brutal book, but it lacks a fulfilling ending or morals learned. I thought the female characters were poorly written, more fantasy than fully fleshed-out characters. The themes are dark and dreary, and like the name of the town this book is appropriately set in, I felt a lot of Disappointment. The characters are unlikable, the settings feel weak, and the author’s constant use of confusingly obscure and nonsensical similes/metaphors was frustrating. I was extremely unimpressed, and thought that the cover was the best part of the book.
This book is a gritty meditation on the difficulties of defeating childhood trauma. Former boxer and current fishing guide Lewis Yaw is stuck reliving the worst parts of his past while both dreaming and awake, and is unable to focus on his family. As his daughter Grayling grows up to become his apprentice, and proves herself to be as fiercely independent as her father, Lewis spirals within a murky cage of memories, afraid to see history repeat itself.
This is a book where a lot of action occurs, but becomes meaningless because it also feels like nothing happens. In my opinion, the plot was too predictable. The target audience of this book is obviously male, but I don’t know if it will find that audience ready and willing to read this book, because it’s such a slow burn. It is a bloody and brutal book, but it lacks a fulfilling ending or morals learned. I thought the female characters were poorly written, more fantasy than fully fleshed-out characters. The themes are dark and dreary, and like the name of the town this book is appropriately set in, I felt a lot of Disappointment. The characters are unlikable, the settings feel weak, and the author’s constant use of confusingly obscure and nonsensical similes/metaphors was frustrating. I was extremely unimpressed, and thought that the cover was the best part of the book.
June 25, 2023
Small Animals Caught in Traps by C.B. Bernard is a heart-wrenching novel you can’t turn away from. Bernard writes in the vein of Cormac McCarthy, with bold, raw truths for those willing to bear witness. He takes you outside the white picket fence and brings you places you may hope don’t exist…but they do. When child abuse, alcoholism, and mental illness tear at a family, is there enough love to hold them together? Those who have walked this walk will understand the path Bernard so passionately clears. Those who have not will never forget the secrets Bernard so poignantly shares. His characters love, lose, suffer, and sometimes win, but there is no doubt they lived. You will never forget Small Animals Caught in Traps by C.B. Bernard.
May 12, 2024
Listened to the audiobook. The reader was hit or miss throughout, alternating between reasonable and way too folksy and twangy. It was regularly distracting, especially in places where a more serious tone was called for. I really enjoyed the storyline, though. At times it was hard to tell how much time was passing, and some parts seemed to be not developed enough (like the character and role of Exley). I went back and listened to the first couple of chapters again after finishing, and thought that was helpful in pulling things together in my mind.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews