About the Book
In 1886, Gretta Pope wakes one morning to discover that her husband is gone. Ulysses Pope has left his family behind on the far edge of Minnesota's western prairie, with only the briefest of notes and no explanation for why he left or where he's headed. It doesn't take long for Gretta's young sons, Eli and Danny, to set off after him, following the scant clues they can find, jumping trains to get where they need to go, and ending up in the rugged badlands of Montana. Short on money and beleaguered by a treacherous landlord, Gretta has no choice but to seek out her sons and her husband as well, leading her to the doorstep of a woman who seems intent on making Ulysses her own. While out in the Western wilderness, the boys find that the closer they come to Ulysses's trail, the greater the perils that confront them--until each is faced with a choice about whom they will defend, and who they will become. Enger's breathtaking portrait of the vast plains land- scape is matched by the rich expanse of his characters' emotional terrain, as pivotal historical events--the bloody turmoil of expansionism, the near total demise of the bison herds, and the subjugation of the Plains Indians--blend seamlessly with the intimate story of a family's sacrifice and devotion.
About the Author :
Lin Enger is an Iowa Workshop graduate, the author of the novel Undiscovered Country, and the recipient of a James Michener Award and a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship. His short stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, Ascent, Great River Review, Wolf Head Quarterly, and other journals. He teaches at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
Review :
"The High Divide, a novel about a family in peril, is haunting and tense but leavened by considerable warmth and humanity. Lin Enger writes with durable grace about a man's quest for redemption and the human capacity for forgiveness."
-- "Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon"
"[A] compelling story of a house divided, of a man's haunting pursuit of forgiveness, and a family's search for the husband they thought they knew--but never really did . . . The High Divide is a vivid reminder of why we read, and why we want to."
-- "True West magazine"
"A captivating stor...The adventure unfolds in prose at turns rollicking and sanguine; Enger is a master of pacing, and once you start turning the pages, there's no setting the book down."
-- "Denver Post"
"A compelling family drama that plays out against the beautifully evoked backdrop of the American West."
-- "BookPage"
"Blends adventure, two boys coming of age, and an exploration of trust in marriage. Set in 1886, the story captures the splendor of the nineteenth-century West."
-- "St. Paul Pioneer Press"
"Lin Enger sets out from the conventions of the traditional Western and brings the reader into new emotional territory, that of the soul of an exquisitely drawn, American family. Told with caring patience and precise language, The High Divide is a novel to get lost in."
-- "James Scott, author of The Kept"
"Moving through the High Divide--'the rough country between the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers'--even as its characters move through important divides, or turning points, of their own, Enger's novel is told in beautifully exact, liquid language that wastes no time, just as one cannot afford to waste time when making a journey such as the Pope family's. Highly recommended."
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
"Patiently told and moving...[Enger's] writing style is precise, restrained, and enlivened by his protagonists...Although some would call The High Divide a historical novel, it's really a fine literary work that steps back in time a bit. It offers an engaging and affecting story with very real characters."
-- "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"Patrick Lawlor narrates with a skilled delivery, letting us come to know Ulysses Pope, his family, and the dark secrets that send him on an odyssey to find redemption, forgiveness, and home. His delivery complements Enger's beautiful descriptions, which evoke the harsh beauty of a landscape the author obviously knows intimately. He gives voice to the soul-tortured Ulysses; his proud and steadfast wife, Eli; the son who quickly becomes a man, and and the sickly Danny, who gains health and strength in the quest to reunite the family. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award."
-- "AudioFile"
"Set in 1886, Enger's novel embraces not one but three journeys that involve guilt, expiation, and redemption...in a plot development that would reek of soap opera if it weren't so well-handled...The psychology of character deepens...[with] the third quest of the novel...Enger writes in an expansive style suitable to his sprawling subject."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"This is a gripping story with well-portrayed, complex, and sympathetic main characters and a complement of believable secondary figures in a vividly described region nearing the close of an era. Enger is an author worth watching."
-- "Booklist"
"This masterfully told Western reinvention of Homer's Odyssey...Set against a backdrop of beauty and danger, this is the moving story of a man coming to terms with his past. In its narrative simplicity and emotional directness, it is reminiscent of John Ford's classic The Searchers."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"Written with lean, crisp prose, Enger['s novel] seamlessly blends historical events with the personal and deftly pulls the reader into America's Great Plains during the nineteenth century. The narrators' voices are captivating, and I was spellbound by the author's ability to express the human condition and especially the complicated bonds between fathers and sons. Layered with meaning, this remarkable novel deserves to be read more than once. The High Divide proves Enger's chops as a masterful storyteller."
-- "Ann Weisgarber, author of The Promise"
