Northwest Corner: A Novel

"Nuanced and moving . . . [a] story about the indestructible bonds of family."-The New York Times

From John Burnham Schwartz, one of the our most compelling and compassionate writers, comes a riveting novel about the complex, fierce, ultimately inspiring resilience of families in the face of life's most difficult and unexpected challenges. Twelve years after a tragic accident and a cover-up that led to prison time, Dwight Arno, at fifty, is a man who has started over without exactly moving on. Living alone in California, Dwight manages a sporting goods store and dates a woman to whom he hasn't revealed the truth about his past. Then Sam, Dwight's estranged college-age son, shows up without warning, fleeing a devastating incident in his own life. As the two men are forced to confront their similar natures and their half-buried hopes for connection, they must also search for redemption in their attempts to rewrite, outrun, or eradicate the past.

Praise for Northwest Corner

"A great American novel."-Abraham Verghese

"One of the most emotionally commanding novels of the year."-NPR

"Exhilarating . . . In Schwartz's hands, the narrative unfolds delicately, each chapter a puzzle piece that fits seamlessly into the whole. [Grade:] A."-Entertainment Weekly

"A compelling tale of a family . . . finding their way back together again."-The Christian Science Monitor

"Stark and deeply affecting . . . Readers will grow to care deeply about whether and how [the characters'] lives can be redeemed."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The masterful Northwest Corner is that finest of things-a moral novel about mortal events."-Dennis Lehane