First published 2000
A summer motorcycle trip across the American Northwest becomes a profound philosophical journey for a father and his young son. As they navigate winding roads and small towns, the narrator grapples with life's big questions, searching for the elusive concept of "quality" that underpins our existence. Confronting his own troubled past, he examines the schism between the rational and the spiritual, seeking to reconcile the ordered mind with the beauty of the natural world. With his son as witness, the narrator embarks on a deeply personal odyssey, discovering hard-won insights about the nature of self, the meaning of life, and the importance of living with presence and purpose.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, adventure, contemporary, biography-memoir, academic
Vibes: intimate, philosophical, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, philosophical-exploration
Setting: United States
448 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books Classics