In the Distance, by Hernan Diaz, is set in the American West of the mid-19th century. A Swedish boy named Håkan and his older brother are immigrating to America and get separated, leading to a memorable journey and a unique reading experience. Justin Souther of Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina, where I purchased the book, writes that “while In the Distance can be read as a revisionist western—and totally enjoyed and chewed on as such—what makes Díaz’s book truly exceptional is how far beyond a simple genre it goes. A beautiful, thoughtful, and often heartbreaking exploration of lonesomeness, the simple confusion of just living, and the magnificent need for human connection.”
In the Distance was published by a nonprofit literary publishing house called Coffee House Press, which has a great mission statement: “Coffee House Press creates new spaces for audiences and artists to interact, inspiring readers and enriching communities by expanding the definition of what literature is, what it can do, and who it belongs to.”
I looked up Coffee House Press in the library catalog to see if I had read more of their books, and I have. Stephen Florida, by Gabe Habash, has a title that evokes the Sunshine State, but like In the Distance it’s also set west of the Mississippi, in frigid North Dakota.
Michael Schaub of NPR paints a good picture of the main character: “Who is Stephen Florida? It's a little hard to say. He's an orphan who maybe hasn't yet come to terms with the death of his parents in a car crash. He's an obsessive with poor impulse control. He's possibly the best college wrestler in the state of North Dakota. He's an unapologetic megalomaniac…He's hard to know, but he's also one of the most unforgettable characters in recent American fiction.”
In addition to their publisher and their setting of the American West, these two novels both speak to my need for books that are not formulaic or predictable and introduce me to characters I haven’t encountered before.
Submitted by:
Stephen Kight
Deputy Director
Forsyth County Public Library
