Sunday, 27 March 2022

Lincoln Highway

 by Amor Towles

Boy can this author ever write!! I read his book a Gentleman in Moscow a few years ago and really enjoyed it.  This is a very big book, almost 600 pages, I was not looking forward to a big, long book. However, this book was worth it!

It is the story of a young man, who has been in a juvenile detention facility, because he accidentally killed another boy.  The young man's mother left the family years ago and his father died of cancer while he was serving his sentence.  The farmer next door and his daughter were looking after the boy's 8 year old brother until he was released.  The father was not a successful farmer so the family farm is being foreclosed.

When the young man (Emmett) returns he decides their is not point in staying around, there are too many hard feelings against him in the community.  His young brother (Billy) wants them to go to San Francisco because that was where the last postcard they got from their mother was from.

The young man is shocked to find out that two of the inmates of the prison stowed away in the warden's car and are now at his home.  He offers to drive them to the nearest train station but things go off the rails and the other inmates end up taking his car and heading to New York.  In taking the car they also took all the money Emmett's father set aside for him. So penniless, Emmett and Billy jump on an east bound train.  

Along the way they meet some people who help them and also some who want to hurt them or steal from them.  Billy is constantly reading a book about Heroes.  When he meets a black man named Ulysses who helps and protects him he is convinced that Ulysses is the modern reincarnation of the Greek Hero.  Sally, the girl from the neighbouring farm rescues the boys when their car is stolen.  Later she manages to find them in New York.  In the end she insists that she will go with them rather than go home.  She is sick and tired of cooking and cleaning for her father, especially after he bought the boy's farm at a good price as it was being foreclosed on.

The book has many twists, turns and surprises, almost one in every chapter. Eventually the boys do meet up with the two escapees, Woolly and Duchess and more adventures ensue as Duchess tries to settle some scores along the way.  In the story Woolly is not quite the brightest light in the universe.  He was jailed because of some pranks he did that went wrong.  He is now a drug addict. Duchess, who is the really evil, manipulative, one with no conscience at all was actually framed by his own father.  While he was innocent of the crime he was convicted of he has turned out to be very bad.

The goal of the criminals is to get to New York to raid Woolly's grandfather's safe at a lake cabin (his family was very wealthy).  They make it to cabin and Billy is able to figure out the combination for the safe.  Woolly commits suicide leaving a note saying he leaves the money to the two brothers and to Duchess.  Emmett is so tired of Duchess and all the trouble he has caused them that he knocks him out, then puts him and his share of the money in a boat at the property.  When Duchess comes to he finds the boat is filling with water.  It sounds like he doesn't make it as he can't swim.  Something of a just end for this very bad character.

This book had incredible stories, characters and twists to the plot.  It was a great read.


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