In the Distance

In the Distance is a 2017 novel by writer and professor Hernán Diaz.^[1] The story recounts the life of Håkan, a Swedish emigrant who is separated from his brother on their journey to the United States in the mid-19th century. Penniless, Håkan travels across the American West, sometimes in very harsh conditions, with the goal of finding his brother in New York City.^[2]

In the Distance

Author	Hernan Diaz
Language	English
Genre	Western Magic realism Bildungsroman
Publisher	Coffee House Press
Publication date	October 10, 2017
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	256
ISBN	978-1-56689-488-3
OCLC	975018812
Dewey Decimal	813/.6
LC Class	PS3604.I17 I5 2017

Writing and composition

The novel took six years to write.^[3] Diaz was drawn to the Western genre as he thought it had not "[fulfilled] its promise or potential".^[3] Diaz wrote the book in Manhattan and Brooklyn.^[1]

Reception

Carys Davies, for The Guardian, referred to the novel as a "thrilling narrative, full of twists and turns".^[2] Catherine Taylor, for the Financial Times, praised In the Distance as an "extraordinary epic tale".^[4]

The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction^[1][5] and the Pulitzer Prize.^[6]