LOS ANGELES TIMESย BESTSELLERย โข A stunning debut novel about love and forgiveness, about the violence of memory and the equal violence of its lossโfrom O. Henry Prizeโwinning author Emily Ruskovich
WINNER OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BOOK AWARD โข WINNER OF THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD โข NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYย BUZZFEED
Ann and Wade have carved out a life for themselves from a rugged landscape in northern Idaho, where they are bound together by more than love. With her husbandโs memory fading, Ann attempts to piece together the truth of what happened to Wadeโs first wife, Jenny, and to their daughters. In a story written in exquisite prose and told from multiple perspectivesโincluding Ann, Wade, and Jenny, now in prisonโwe gradually learn of the mysterious and shocking act that fractured Wade and Jenny's lives, of the love and compassion that brought Ann and Wade together, and of the memories that reverberate through the lives of every character inย Idaho.
In a wild emotional and physical landscape, Wadeโs past becomes the center of Annโs imagination, as Ann becomes determined to understand the family she never knewโand to take responsibility for them, reassembling their lives, and her own.
FINALIST FOR: International Dylan Thomas Prize โข Edgar First Novel Award โข Young Lions Fiction Award
โYou know youโre in masterly hands here. [Emily] Ruskovichโs language is itself a consolation, as she subtly posits the troubling thought that only decency can save us. . . . Ruskovichโs novel will remind many readers of the great Idaho novel, Marilynne Robinsonโsย Housekeeping. . . .ย ย [A] wrenching and beautiful book.โโThe New York Times Book Reviewย (Editorsโ Choice)
โSensuous, exquisitely crafted.โโTheย Wall Street Journal
โThe first thing you should know aboutย Idaho,ย the shatteringly original debut by O. Henry Prize winner Emily Ruskovich, is that it upturns everything you think you know about story. . . . You could readย Idahoย just for the sheer beauty of the prose, the expert way Ruskovich makes everything strange and yet absolutely familiar.โโSan Francisco Chronicle
โMesmerizing . . . [an] eerie story about what the heart is capable of fathoming and what the hand is capable of executing.โโMarie Claire
โIdahoย is a wonderful debut. Ruskovich knows how to build a page-turner from the opening paragraph.โโFt. Worthย Star-Telegram