Recommendations from our site
“The novel is really about the unsettling of the West, and it revisits that classic hero of the Western novel: the ‘American Adam.’ This is the figure who tries to throw off history, tries to sever his family ties, and tries to break free from the past in order to experience rebirth and renewal in the so-called Edenic spaces of the West. But what Håkan finds instead is a devastating lack of connection and belonging. He experiences a kind of soul-crushing loneliness and a very limited and truncated life.” Read more...
Susan Kollin, Literary Scholar
“The story follows the life of Hakan, a Swedish immigrant who moves to the United States with his brother in the 1800s. We see all the difficulties he endures and the compelling people he meets as he makes his way to the frontier, moving through these huge landscapes that are just astounding—the nature writing is beautiful. It’s a quiet coming-of-age story, and I love it. I think it might be one of my favourite books ever, though I’ve read it only once.” Read more...
Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels
Paul Carlucci, Novelist
