finished reading

To organize my thoughts--the story takes place in ten days.  It's a meandering story; there are multiple events that aren't essential.  There are multiple narrators and the point of view shifts from first to third person, which I thought was interesting based on the characters.  The setting is 1954 when a sense of innocence dominated society: the start of the civil rights movement and the post-war economic boom.  The three boys bonded while in the juvenile correction system and are exploring the cusp of adulthood.  

As a road trip story, the fact that they travel in the opposite direction of their dream destination parallels the storytelling style.  Epic tales of hero journeys are the backdrop.  And much of the book I spent figuring out how characters fit the hero mold.  

I listened to the audio and would recommend it.  The narration is fantastic.  

From the publisher:

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.