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Staff Pick
The Trackers: A Novel
Current price:
$30.00
Publication Date: April 11th, 2023
Publisher:
Ecco
ISBN:
9780062948083
Pages:
336
In Stock at Warehouse - Usually Arrives in 3-7 Days
Staff Reviews
The occasion of a new novel by Charles Frazier ought to be a national celebration. Few living writers are better at capturing the uniquely dual nature of our American pride and neurosis, the way the myths of the past can haunt very human lives in the present. Here in THE TRACKERS it is the mid-30s and the Depression casts a long, vampiric shadow. Much like in our own age of COVID and unrest, the characters don't know if they'll ever escape its doomed gravity. But with Val's WPA mural project and John's political ambitions, a new dawn may be around the corner. That is, if they can escape their own burdens first. The occasional anachronism in the dialogue jangles the ear, and Eve in particular is prone to some unbelievable amounts of pontificating, but these don't distract much from a driving plot with a slowly unraveling mystery. The first half felt to me like a GREAT GATSBY of the West, and the second half came very close to Hitchcock's 'Vertigo.' If those seem like favorable comparisons, they are! THE TRACKERS is yet another American masterpiece by one of our national treasures.
—
Steve
Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Cold Mountain and Varina, a stunning new novel that paints a vivid portrait of life in the Great Depression
Hurtling past the downtrodden communities of Depression-era America, painter Val Welch travels westward to the rural town of Dawes, Wyoming. Through a stroke of luck, he’s landed a New Deal assignment to create a mural representing the region for their new Post Office.
A wealthy art lover named John Long and his wife Eve have agreed to host Val at their sprawling ranch. Rumors and intrigue surround the couple: Eve left behind an itinerant life riding the rails and singing in a western swing band. Long holds shady political aspirations, but was once a WWI sniper—and his right hand is a mysterious elder cowboy, a vestige of the violent old west. Val quickly finds himself entranced by their lives.
One day, Eve flees home with a valuable painting in tow, and Long recruits Val to hit the road with a mission of tracking her down. Journeying from ramshackle Hoovervilles to San Francisco nightclubs to the swamps of Florida, Val's search for Eve narrows, and he soon turns up secrets that could spark formidable changes for all of them.
In The Trackers, singular American writer Charles Frazier conjures up the lives of everyday people during an extraordinary period of history that bears uncanny resemblance to our own. With the keen perceptions of humanity and transcendent storytelling that have made him beloved for decades, Frazier has created a powerful and timeless new classic.
Praise for The Trackers: A Novel
“Frazier is in top form…. Period-authentic, and the writing hums with spectacular word-images…. [A] propulsive tale of individualistic characters striving to beat the odds.” — Booklist (starred review)
"The book’s continental scope proves that the lavishly talented Charles Frazier is not just a regional novelist. “The Trackers” is a novel of suspense with an all-American sting."
— Washington Post
“Frazier deftly blends an historical perspective throughout his fictional tale…Even though it’s set 86 years ago, there are moments that are eerie in their echoes of the present…There’s a lot more worth savoring in “The Trackers,” including reflections on the meaning of art, the mythos of the American West, and what it really takes to start again. But Val is our narrator and after a transcontinental adventure, the book satisfyingly ends where it began, with Val working on his mural in Dawes, Wyoming, adding a couple final details to complete the painting.”
— Associated Press
