Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance

by Richard Powers

First published 1985

In 1914, a renowned photographer captures three farmers on their way to a country dance. This haunting image becomes the focus of two contemporary stories. A young narrator is obsessed with unraveling its secrets, while a Boston computer writer discovers a personal connection to the photo. As the fates of the three farmers unfold, the two present-day narratives converge in a surprising way, revealing a mystery that stretches across a century of brutality and progress.

Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, 21st-century

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: dual-timeline, mystery-thriller

Setting: Boston, Massachusetts

Period: 1914

358 pages · Paperback · Atlantic Books

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