Tense and emotionally gripping, Outside is the story of a teacher's escape to Japan from classroom, country, and self in the wake of a small-town Ontario tragedy.

David Woods arrives in Japan with a suitcase full of pharmaceuticals and nightmares that leave him drenched in sweat. A tragic incident has led him to leave his family, his teaching job and his girlfriend, Joanna. With his once-charmed life in shambles, David seeks anonymity in a Kyoto guest house, but instead finds friendship with an eclectic group of world travelers.

As a teacher, David fought to take his students into the woods, convinced that they would learn more on the trails than within the confines of the classroom. In Japan, he turns to nature again, hiking the mountains of Kyoto, visiting Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, trying to make sense of an incident born of randomness.

Outside is an ode to the responsibility of the teacher, the healing power of friendship, and the search for meaning in a haphazard world.

Sean McCammon is an outdoor education teacher and singer-songwriter who lives in Kitchener, Ontario. Outside is his first novel.