Book Short
Lincoln Highway
by Amor Towles
Review by Stephanie Miller
A hero’s journey always begins with the call.
In “Lincoln Highway,” the latest novel from best-selling author Amor Towles, a young man Emmett and his eight-year-old brother Billy set out to follow their mother’s escape to California. All they have are nine postcards sent after she left them and their father on a failing farm in Nebraska five years ago. They inherited the cards along with unpaid bills after their father’s death.
The farm and everything in it must be sold to pay the bank. So, Emmett and Billy agree they will take only what can fit in a kit bag each and find their mother. They set off in Emmett’s beloved Studebaker across the newly built, cross-country Lincoln Highway to San Francisco. Emmett has a plan to build and flip houses. He agrees to Billy’s quest just like most heroes do, with a bit of skepticism, his own agenda, and a lot of love.
Still, no hero gets an easy ride.
As they set out, two of Emmett’s friends show up with a different plan. Take the Lincoln Highway to New York to collect a family “inheritance.” Despite attempts to send these castaways back, his friends “borrow” his car and head east without them. As heroes do, Emmett and Billy must follow.
The result is an epic road trip. The story unfolds over ten days and is told with Towles’ usual graceful and multi-layered style, through multiple voices, and with historical facts woven in from our country’s glory days of the automobile. We meet characters who change the course of the hero’s journey but play only bit parts in the overall drama. One of these is a six-foot tall freight train rider named Ulysses. Billy shows him his precious book – a collection of hero stories – and introduces him to his wandering adventurer namesake. Serving as protector and guide as he reckons with this new version of himself as returning hero, Ulysses enables Emmett and Billy to continue their journey.
Duchess, the car borrower, is good hearted, but completely lacks a moral compass. His incredibly disturbing behaviors are all well intentioned. Cruel, dangerous, and thoughtless actions explained by Duchess almost make you agree with the logic. I found myself both repelled and fascinated by him.
I didn’t love the book at first. It grew on me.
The ending is especially uncomfortable. It’s not as strong as “Gentleman in Moscow” or “Rules of Civility,” Towle’s first two novels (both of which I loved). However, it’s worth reading. Towles is an expert at drawing characters – heroes, storytellers, penitents, wanderers, beneficients, dreamers, killers, and pioneers.
Microshorts
A Minute’s Silence, by Sigfried Lenz
Here is the power of used books stores like Yes Books on Congress Street where I found this gem. It’s a brief, poetically constructed story of a summer romance between a young student and his teacher. Forbidden but still intoxicating, this is a tribute to first love, which sadly culminates in a boating accident, as well as a community’s response to scandal that ends in tragedy.
The Midcoast, by Adam White
A first novel by a Maine native, this is a compelling tale of corruption in Damariscotta, and what it means to be complicit, even unknowingly, in your neighbor’s crimes. The book is awkwardly told in the first person, and, as the narrator unpeels the story strip by strip, we discover the pieces in a non-linear manner. I found that storytelling technique confusing, but it’s a great first effort by a new Maine author, so I encourage everyone to support him.
The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry
This is a lyrical story of a dozen people connected by the rumor of a sea monster. Given that premise, it’s a surprisingly engaging story. Every single character is endearingly odd or simply misunderstood. Perhaps it’s that they all exhibit a flavor of strangeness inspired by the outsider-ness of a sea monster. It’s a twisty, unpredictable, and often humorous romp through mid-Century England, and celebrates the foggy, moody, muddy Essex coastline. Who knew such a combination would be so enjoyable?!
