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This tour-de-force of American literature and a winner of the National Book Award is a profound, intimate, affecting novel from one of the most esteemed literary minds of the last century and a beloved chronicler of the West.

Joe Allston is a retired literary agent who is, in his own words, "just killing time until time gets around to killing me." His parents and his only son are long dead, leaving him with neither ancestors nor descendants, tradition nor ties. His job, trafficking the talent of others,... Read Full Overview

From the "dean of Western writers" ( The New York Times ) and the Pulitzer Prize winning-author of Angle of Repose and Crossing to Safety , his National Book Award-winning novel A Penguin Classic Joe Allston is a retired literary agent who is, in his own words, "just killing... Read Full Overview