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