The Hunter and the Old Woman

The intertwined story of a cougar and a man that portrays the strength, vulnerability, and consciousness of two top predators. Not since Life of Pi have we encountered such transcendence or walked so fully in the footsteps of a big cat.

The “Old Woman” lives in the wild, searching for food, raising her cubs, and avoiding the two-legged creatures who come into her territory. But she is more than an animal — she is a mythic creature who haunts the lives and the dreams of men. Joseph Brandt has been captivated by the mountain lion’s legend since childhood, and one day he steps into the forest to seek her out. A classic in the making, The Hunter and the Old Woman is a mesmerizing portrait of two animals united by a shared destiny.


Genre: Literary Fiction

"The Old Woman of Pamela Korgemagi’s hypnotically gripping novel is a North American cougar, and its persona is a creative achievement unknown in literature. Korgemagi completely inhabits her alien protagonist, convincing us not what a cougar is like, but what it is like to be a cougar. The story’s Hunter is human, and his development from child to adult is revealed in step with the animal’s, until their lives finally intersect. It is a novel of rare empathy and insight that gives a convincing portrayal of lives spent in the wild — and what it is like to be alive with and without the familiar human awareness of self and time." - Michael Redhill