Simon and Schuster
April 2016
On Sale: April 5, 2016
290 pages ISBN: 1476778043 EAN: 9781476778044 Kindle: B00LD1ONEY Paperback / e-Book (reprint) Add to Wish List
βComplex and hauntingβ¦vivid and unforgettableβ (People), this story of one injured but indefatigable young woman is a stunning portrait of a family, a generation, and a country all coming of age.
From a quiet family farm in Montana in the 60s to the grit and haze of San Francisco in the 70s to a gypsy-populated, post-war Saigon, The Given World spins around its unconventional and unforgettable heroine, Riley. When her big brother is declared MIA in Vietnam, young Riley packs up her shattered heart and leaves her family, her first love, and βa few small thingsβ behind. By trial and error she builds a new life, working on cars, delivering newspapers, tending bar. She befriends, rescues, and is rescued by a similarly vagabond cast of characters whose ββunraveled soulsβ sting hardest and linger the longestβ (The New York Times Book Review). Foolhardy, funny, and wise, Rileyβs challenge as she grows into a woman is simple: survive long enough to go home again, or at least figure out where home is, and who might be among the living there.
Lorrie Moore said, βItβs been a long time since a first book contained this much wisdom and knowledge of the world.β The Given World is βan immensely rewarding and remarkable debutβ (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
© 2003-2026