In the Distance
Ratings27
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings27
Average rating4.1
FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD WINNER OF THE WHITING AWARD WINNER OF THE SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING WINNTER OF THE VCU CABELL FIRST NOVELIST AWARD WINNER OF THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR The first novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Trust, an exquisite and blisteringly intelligent story of a young Swedish boy, separated from his brother, who becomes a legend and an outlaw A young Swedish immigrant finds himself penniless and alone in California. The boy travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great current of emigrants pushing west. Driven back again and again, he meets criminals, naturalists, religious fanatics, swindlers, American Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Diaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness.
Reviews with the most likes.
“Through countless frosts and thaws, he walked in circles wider than nations.”
I'm not a big western fan. But this book transcends its genre and somehow touches on the past, present and future. It's a coming of age for a whole continent. There is so much wealth of knowledge - I found myself saving all the gems that Haka shared as he crossed the world. Couldn't put this book down.
In the Distance is a heartbreaking story about someone who is incredibly alone in a foreign country. The protagonist, Håkan, is treated badly yet has a relentless optimism that he's going to find the person he's looking for. So much brutal stuff happens in the story, and Håkan cannot reconcile the things he's done in the past, no matter how necessary, brave, or heroic they were. He's a lovable giant surrounded by tragedy.
The book feels like a sprint, rarely pausing in the moment or giving the reader time to process what's just happened. Hernan Diaz achieves this while never using 20 words when 10 will do, without losing the musical, visceral feel of the writing. It felt like reading a Cormac McCarthy novel for the first time.
