The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

“Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth.” — The New York Times Book Review.

In June 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter. With his mother long gone and his father recently deceased, the family farm foreclosed upon, Emmett’s plan is to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to California to start their lives anew.

But when the warden departs, Emmett discovers that two of his friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they hatch an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future – one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction, to the City of New York.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple perspectives, Towles’ third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary style while taking them to a rich array of new settings, characters, and themes. “Once again, I was wowed by Towles’ writing – especially because The Lincoln Highway is so different from A Gentleman in Moscow in terms of setting, plot, and themes,” notes one reviewer. “Towles is not a one-trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has range.” Drawing inspiration from classic hero’s journeys like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Huckleberry Finn, Towles seems to be suggesting that our personal journeys are never as linear or predictable as an interstate highway.

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