Dodge City by Patrick deWitt

 

Leland (Lee) is on the run from Southern California determined to make it to Canada because he has been drafted to fight in Vietnam. Many of his ancestors served in the military, but Lee is convinced it’s not for him. Signing up to drop off a Jaguar in New Jersey, Lee says goodbye to his girlfriend and sets off. Along the way, he checks in on his divorced parents and siblings, highlighting frayed relationships. I had hoped for more 70s color but the novel focuses singularly on the family dynamics. Despite that window, DeWitt’s lively dialog delivers yet another winner. 

The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin

Russell and Eddie might be of different ages —Russell is about seven and a frequent target of bullying while Eddie is a grown man — but they’re both shaking life’s cruelties. Abused by Curtis, his older brother, and barely parented by his single mother, Russell seeks shelter in neighbor Eddie’s protection. Barely cobbling together a painting business, Eddie is trying to lose the demons from his past. Vlautin paints a brilliant portrait of people at society’s fringes, who keep at it despite long odds. Russell’s trauma of abuse is heart-wrenching in the way it manifests, and rewrites what family truly means.