Comfort Food: A Novel

A romantic academic, a self-assured young writer, an enigmatic musician, a slacker, a wealthy mountain climber, and a former heroin addict–characters whose lives intersect in the unique debut novel Comfort Food. Stan Gillman-Reinhart is a graduate student at a small university in Bellingham, Washington in 1993. Through his experiences and frustrations we meet Delany Richardson, a budding writer and old friend of Stan’s; John Snyder, a local musician; Brian Fetzler, Stan’s stoner roommate; Dave Greibing, a mountain climber and Delany’s ex-boyfriend; and Bridgette Jonsen, a former heroin addict and Dave’s current girlfriend. Successive sections of the novel focus on John’s trip through Eastern Europe, Delany’s summer in Alaska, Brian’s life after college, Bridgette’s road trip through Utah, Dave’s ascent of Mt. Denali, and a tragic accident that illuminates their lives. Set in the verdant Pacific Northwest, the sandstone deserts of Utah, the gritty streets of Budapest, and the snow covered wasteland of Mt. Denali, Comfort Food is a literary work with an emphasis on the importance of human relationships and a sense of place. In his inventive new novel Noah Ashenhurst creates a cast of characters–individuals–who are frustrated, isolated, enamored, addicted, connected, and finally redeemed.