'In The Distance' — Hernán Diaz

From the jacket flap: "A young Swedish immigrant finds himself alone and penniless in 19th-century California. The boy travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great current of emigrants pushing west. Driven back again and again, he meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, swindlers, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend."

What's not conveyed in this brief summary is the magic of the author's prose, which is transporting and made this one of those wonderful books it's impossible to put down.

New York Times review here.

Guardian review here.

Financial Times review here.