In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review - Book Summary & Background

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 2 - Summary & Background

Title: In the Distance

Author: Hernan Diaz

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Publish Date: 2017

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): A young Swedish boy finds himself penniless and alone in California. He travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great push to the west. Driven back over and over again on his journey through vast expanses, Håkan meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Díaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness. 

**This book review contains heavy spoilers**

This section is for those of you who want to read my Character Analysis, but haven't read the book, and also doesn't intend to do so. If you are NOT one of these people, this post is not for you. 

Here, I will provide a brief part-by-part summary of the book, and provide some background as well. 

Plot Summary

1. Separation

Håkan and his older brother Linus are young Swedish teenagers whose parents manage to send them to “Nujårk” (New York). However, Håkan gets on the wrong ship and lands in California. Håkan decides to cross America on foot to reach Linus— however, he doesn’t speak English. 

2. Clangston

Håkan meets a kind Irish prospector family called the Brennans, and they live together for weeks. The father soon strikes gold and grows increasingly suspicious and hostile. Soon, a woman from the nearby town of Clangston forcibly buys the mine and Håkan. Håkan is held in Clangston as a sexual slave of the woman. He soon escapes, heading east towards Linus. 

3. John Lorimer 

In the desert, Håkan meets a Scottish naturalist and healer named John Lorimer, and the two become friends. Lorimer teaches Håkan anatomy and biology, dissecting various animals to show Håkan how the body works. Håkan receives a set of surgical tools from Lorimer, learning to heal wounds and perform surgery. The two soon part ways, and Håkan continues heading east.

4. Jarvis Pickett

Håkan comes across a wagon train heading west. He meets Jarvis Pickett, who teaches him to use a gun. He leads the wagon train and has promised land in the west to families, but many suspect Jarvis is defrauding them. Håkan develops a bond with Helen, a girl on the wagon train.

5. The Soldiers of Jehu 

Soon, Jarvis convinces the wagon train to abandon the trail, claiming knowledge of a cutoff. Just as they leave the trail, they are attacked by some raiders called the Soldiers of Jehu. Helen is murdered by the Soldiers; enraged and despairing, Håkan kills most of the raiders, forcing their retreat. Stricken with guilt, Håkan immediately leaves and resumes heading east. 

6. Eastwards Alone

Haunted by guilt, grief, and pain at Helen’s death as well as the deaths he caused, Håkan roams the plains for weeks. When other pioneers recognize him from the stories of the giant Hawk (Håkan), he burns with shame. He has been constantly growing at an immense rate, so he is very noticeable— thus the ‘giant’ title. Retreating from the world, Håkan passes the winter alone. 

7. The Sheriff

Eventually, Håkan makes his way further east, where he comes across a city. A sheriff immediately arrests him— rumors of the Hawk’s deeds had traveled fast, the story being that Håkan had cold-bloodedly killed the pioneers on the wagon train as well as the Soldiers of Jehu. The sheriff intends to take Håkan to the capital of the US for trial and execution. 

8. Asa 

Asa, one of the sheriff’s deputies, believes Håkan’s story that he only killed the Soldiers, not the emigrants. He frees Håkan and the two run west to escape. Asa is passionate about cooking, which leads Håkan to notice small things in his environment. Håkan bonds with Asa, realizing that Asa has become his comforter more than Linus (who he realizes was merely a child). 

 

9. The Monotonous Life

Håkan and Asa hide in a canyon to escape their pursuers, but Asa dies soon. Håkan is shaken, and retreats from the world, living purposelessly in an underground labyrinth he creates. After years of solitude, some former Union and Confederate soldiers discover Håkan’s hideout and attempt to recruit him into their gang. Håkan refuses and flees after knocking them unconscious. 

10. Clangston & Captain Altenbaum

Håkan plans to return to Clangston, where the Brennans’ father had hidden some gold years ago, then sail to New York from California. But Clangston has become a large city, and Håkan fails to find the gold. He meets Captain Altenbaum, who offers to take Håkan to Alaska. On the way, Håkan decides to return to his homeland Sweden by walking across the entirety of Russia.

Setting & Genre

The main setting of this book is the American “Wild West” and uncharted frontier during and after the gold rush, presumably starting in the mid-1840s and continuing until the late 1860s. This is shown by Håkan initially meeting a poor Irish prospector family called the Brennans, who “insisted that Håkan join their prospecting expedition” (Diaz 17), and eventually Håkan meeting soldiers in “loose-fitting gray uniforms… the other soldier wore blue… on his right arm were three yellow stripes” (Diaz 218), indicative of former Union and Confederate soldiers. This is a period marked by flocks of emigrants heading west in search of gold and better prospects, the pursuit of the so-called “Manifest Destiny”. Genre-wise, This book is mostly a Western novel with a sprinkle of bildungsroman, but entirely subverts the traditional Western genre. The usual Western is a post-Civil War story of an American heading west— this book is a pre-Civil War story about an immigrant heading east. Traditional Western elements such as gunfights, frontier towns, saloons, and wagon trains are incorporated, but in a way that disappoints and goes against the norms. For example, gunfights occur, but “the shots [are] as good as blanks” (Diaz 129). Also, violence is not romanticized; rather, the shame of being a murderer makes Håkan “want to shun the society of men forever” (Diaz 194). In addition to these anti-Western characteristics, the book focuses on Håkan’s growth through his human interactions (or lack thereof), thus making it a bildungsroman of sorts. This Western ultimately breaks expectations, with a sprinkle of bildungsroman added via Håkan’s personal growth.