by Lindy West
First published 2026
Lindy West sits behind the wheel of her car, staring at the open road ahead. The bestselling author of Shrill has reached rock bottom. Her marriage teeters on collapse. Depression has swallowed her whole. The woman her fans see as a beacon of empowerment feels like a fraud. She starts the engine and begins a solo journey across the country, determined to find herself again. West visits natural wonders and roadside attractions, makes stops at disappointing tourist traps, and has revelations at campgrounds. She examines her emotional breakdown after Shrill's success, questions her assumptions about marriage, and searches for the person she used to be. The miles accumulate as West transforms from someone who lets life happen to her into someone who steers her own course. This cross-country trip becomes her path back to herself and her relationship.
Genres: autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, self-reflection
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
474 pages · Paperback · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness