by Hernán Díaz
First published 2024
Penniless and alone in California, a young Swedish immigrant treks east, driven by a desperate search for his lost brother. As he crosses the vast, untamed expanse, he encounters a vivid cast of characters - naturalists, criminals, zealots, indigenous people, and lawmen - who transform his odyssey into frontier legend. Defying genre conventions, Díaz's novel offers a probing look at the stereotypes that haunt our collective past.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: epic-journey, fish-out-of-water
Setting: San Francisco, New York, Sweden, California
Period: 19th-century
256 pages · Paperback · Coffee House Press