Lost Nation - Softcover

Jeffrey Lent

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330419862 ISBN 13: 9780330419864

Publisher: Picador, 2003

Synopsis

'Compelling ...an epic of the Wild East' - "Sunday Telegraph". A man known only as Blood guides an oxcart of rum towards Indian Stream. An ungoverned territory high in rural New Hampshire, north-east America, Indian Stream is the place where the luckless and the lawless make their way in order to make a fresh start - and Blood's reason for heading there is no different. A man with a past he'd rather forget, he hopes to establish himself as a trader. But on their arrival, he and Sally - a beautiful sixteen-year-old won in a game of cards - soon find their presence there is the trigger for conflict within the community; conflict that finally forces Blood to confront his ghosts. Jeffrey Lent carries us deep into conditions of desolation and hardship, but at the same time maintains the relentless beat of hope. Written in lucid and seductive prose, "Lost Nation" resoundingly confirms Jeffrey Lent's place in the front rank of modern novelists.

About this title

Review

In his second novel, Lost Nation, Jeffrey Lent follows Blood, a mysterious rogue attempting to make a new life for himself in Indian Stream, an ungoverned territory in 19th-century northern New Hampshire. Intending to start a trading business, Blood brings with him rum, supplies, and Sally, a 16-year-old girl he won in a card game from the madam of a brothel. A rugged "man of contradictions," Blood is learned and occasionally kind, yet capable of considerable cruelty and violence. Rumors quickly circulate in Indian Stream regarding his troubled past, and Blood is made a scapegoat when conflicts escalate in the area following his arrival. As Blood's history is gradually revealed, it becomes clear that his only chance at redemption is through confrontation.

Demonstrating his gift for narration, Lent has created a rich and entertaining novel from this somewhat familiar outline, filled with well-developed characters and stark, evocative descriptions. In its epic, unflinching style and omniscient voice, Lent's prose is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and Faulkner, to whom he is often compared. Wolves, scoundrels, and barbaric natives abound, and Lent never shies away from the gritty, realistic detail appropriate for the novel's harsh setting. Though light on profundities, Lost Nation should offer readers many engaging reasons to return. --Ross Doll

About the Author

Jeffrey Lent lives in Vermont with his wife and two daughters.

Edition details

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0330419862
• ISBN 13: 9780330419864
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 370