Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann
Emmet. Billy. Duchess. Woolly.
Four characters. A studebaker. A travel plan from Nebraska to San Francisco on The Lincoln Highway.
The scene is set for a journey through the unknown and unexpected.
After the immensely successful and popular, “A Gentleman in Moscow” , Amor Towles comes up with “The Lincoln Highway. “
The book begins with pathos hanging in the air. Emmett is driven home by the warden of Salina, a work farm where he is sent off to after he gets into a brawl leading to disastrous consequences.
Emmet return to his home and little brother Billy with a bleak future facing him (the foreclosure on his house).
“Ugly side of chance.” The phrase uttered by the warden when he is dropping Emmett off sets the tone of the entire book with it’s twists and turns.
Faced with no options, Emmet decides to travel to California with his younger brother Billy to commence a new life. But Billy has definite route plans. Explaining to Emmet excitedly about The Lincoln Highway and going to San Francisco in pursuit of their mother who had abandoned them, he convinces Emmett to go along with his plans.
But fate has other stories to add. Emerging from the boot of the warden’s car, are Duchess ( wily and self-preserving ) and Woolly ( dreamer ), Emmet’s colleagues from Salina who have escaped to freedom.
And thus begins the sweeping, momentous 10-day journey.
A series of turns, forwards and reverses, it is a sojourn of experiences, revelations, decisions and sad incidents.
Each chapter is the voice of each character and the story goes back and forth in time with each voice.
However what is most interesting is that besides these human characters, is the character of a book – Prof Abernathe -Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers and other Intrepid Travellers.
This supposed book has been wonderfully used as an allegory to correlate their travel journey to historical and fantasy adventures of the past. Lessons learnt from them and some forecasts fancifully made.
All the four characters set out on this voyage with their minds set on different paths and directions. Each character has strong convictions for their path ahead, determined by their past and a strong desire to chalk out the future.
My favourite character is Billy. The eight year old brother of Emmet -young , wide eyed and eager to absorb all, but a heart wrenching wisdom for such a young age … life had taught him tough. In the end, in fact he comes across as clever and smart, with a calm acceptance of accepting the unexpected.
Billy and Woolly are endearing characters … innocence mixed with guile …. The old world charm of curiosity , trust and innocence.
The book has unusually done away with quotation marks and used a dash instead.
Like his former success, “A Gentleman in Moscow” , this book is too stuck in a time zone and both the books end at the same time in 1954.
“This is a book about momentum,” the 56-year-old Towles says, “it’s a story of rapid decisions having rapid consequences.” https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/books/amor-towles-american-odyssey-in-10-days-111634790910388.html
The book has an ambiguous pace about it, human emotions spinning a web of intrigue over the pages.
I liked the book, but “A Gentleman in Moscow” is my better favourite amongst the two.
Preeta Chag 