Leif Enger masterfully blends romanticism with gritty reality, recalling the greatest cowboy stories of the Old West. His novels explore journeys and the search for meaning, often set against the backdrop of the American heartland. Enger's distinctive prose, both lyrical and direct, draws readers into narratives filled with extraordinary characters and their unforgettable destinies. His works are marked by a profound understanding of human nature and a strong sense of justice.
The first novel in ten years from award-winning, million-copy bestselling author Leif Enger, Virgil Wander is an enchanting and timeless all-American story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart
The narrative follows an aging train robber on a journey of self-discovery as he grapples with themes of love and judgment. Accompanied by a failed writer, their adventure unfolds with a blend of ruggedness and agility, exploring complex relationships and personal redemption. Enger's storytelling captures the essence of their quest, making it a compelling continuation of his previous work.
When Israel Finch and Tommy Basca, the town bullies, break into the home of school caretaker Jeremiah Land, wielding a baseball bat and looking for trouble, they find more of it than even they expected. For seventeen-year-old Davey is sitting up in bed waiting for them with a Winchester rifle. His younger brother Reuben has seen their father perform miracles, but Jeremiah now seems as powerless to prevent Davey from being arrested for manslaughter, as he has always been to ease Reuben's daily spungy struggle to breathe. Nor does brave and brilliant nine-year-old Swede, obsessed as she is with the legends of the wild west, have the strength to spring Davey from jail. Yet Davey does manage to break out. He steals a horse, and disappears. His family feels his absence so sorely, the three of them just pile into their old Plymouth, towing a brand new 1963 Airstream trailer, and set out on a quest to find him. And they follow the outlaw west, right into the cold, wild and empty Dakota Badlands. Set in the 1960s on the edge of the Great Plains, PEACE LIKE A RIVER is that rare thing, a contemporary novel with an epic dimension. Told in the touching voice of an asthmatic eleven-year-old boy, it revels in the legends of the West, resonates with a soul-expanding sense of place, and vibrates with the possibility of magic in the everyday world. Above all, it shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to the most terrifying of enemies, the most tragic of fates.