First published 1992
Larry Darrell returns from World War I a changed man. Haunted by battlefield trauma, he abandons his comfortable Chicago social circle and wealthy fiancée, choosing instead a radical path of global wandering and spiritual exploration. His friends and family watch with increasing frustration as Larry rejects conventional success, trading social status for an uncompromising quest to understand human suffering. From Paris cafes to Indian monasteries, he pursues enlightenment with a stubborn intensity that challenges everyone's expectations. As years pass, Larry's unconventional choices strain—and ultimately transform—his most intimate relationships. At its heart, this is a story about the courage to pursue understanding beyond society's prescribed routes.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, adventure
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unconventional-choices
Setting: Chicago, Global
Period: Aftermath of World War I
448 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: war