The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
Reviewed by Michael Attard
Based upon the characters, this historical fiction might be seen as a coming-of-age story. But the many themes, including social pragmaticism, hopeful dreams, defending ourselves, getting a fresh start, betrayal, virtue, guilt, indignation, atonement, and forgiveness go well beyond the transition of youth into adulthood. Over almost 600 pages, all of the above come into play and are intermingled. In spite of the book’s length and the tendency of the author, Amor Towles, to ramble on about certain characters or events, the strong themes and the struggles of the well-developed characters keep the reader in the moment, wanting to know more. The language is simple and the conversations brisk and believable, making the lengthy read not nearly as daunting as one might suspect.
The story begins with the protagonist, 18-year-old Emmett, being returned home by the warden after a stay in a reform school. A year and a half earlier, having lost his temper, the subsequent action had unforeseen repercussions, for which Emmett was accountable. Having served time in an institution, legally, he owed nothing to society, but life is not as simple as that. To add insult to injury, his father died of cancer before his release and the bank foreclosed on the farm. All Emmett has is his car. His mother had left the family years before.
Nevertheless, Emmett has a plan to leave his small town in Nebraska, with his precocious but loveable eight-year-old brother Billy. Following the Lincoln Highway will take them to California. This was where their mother had gone, and Billy had no doubt that they could find her. Chance then plays a wild card when two fellow inmates literally pop up after having hid and hitched a ride in the warden’s car trunk. Thus, the escapade begins.
We meet Duchess, now an escaped fugitive, who despite his lack of education has a charm and persuasive gift of gab, which often seem to cross the border into bullying. He also has a knack for converting what belongs to others into a favor for himself. Woolly, the second of the two stowaways, could not be more different. He comes from a long line of money and is sensitive, meek, and polite. It is never stated clearly, but his obsessive attention to detail, rash decision making, and oblivious perception of many societal norms lead me to conclude that he is somewhat autistic. Woolly has medicine that he takes, and the trustee of his estate has had him declared “temperamentally unfit.”
Duchess has hatched a plan to rescue Woolly’s rightful trust of $150,000 from the family safe out in the sprawling, Adirondack summer estate. Emmett wants nothing to do with this, but with the unique bond of friendship that joins them, he agrees to drive Duchess and Woolly to the bus station in Omaha. Well, they never get there, and Emmett and Billy are stranded. Emmett wants his car back, so he and Billy have an adventure traveling in an empty box car to New York City. The hope is to find Duchess at his father’s place.
Throughout the story, Emmett does have a good understanding of Duchess and does not hold a grudge against him. As Emmett explains to young Billy, “Duchess is full of energy and enthusiasm and good intentions, too. But sometimes, his energy and enthusiasm get in the way of his good intentions, and when that happens, the consequences often fall on someone else.”
Duchess hijacks Emmett’s and Billy’s plans and the narrative. He clearly recalls Sister Agnes from his orphanage teach that atonement and forgiveness can release a person from the chains of guilt and indignation, respectively. But rather, Duchess thinks in terms of a fresh start, cleaning of the slate, paying for what you owe, and collecting what you are due. In the end, for Duchess, this boils down to revenge.
As the boys’ adventure heads in what appears to be the wrong direction, the one stabilizing element – surprisingly – is eight-year-old Billy. When he and Emmett hit the road, he did not carry much with him, but he did bring his favorite book, A Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travellers. Billy understands that all the classical heroes have their flaws, trials, and tribulations. He never loses the hope that he and Emmett will make it to California and find their mother. While the three older boys appear confused or misdirected, it is little Billy who holds fast to the beacon of truth.
Emmett, by now well caught up in the swirling events set in motion by Duchess, comes to terms with his past condemnation and judgement of others. He feels shame but begins a forgiveness of self. As he tries to handle and get out of the mess created by Duchess, he understands that virtue alone is not enough to create one’s own unique life. Grit, integrity, and determination are necessary ingredients.
The story does not end well for Woolly. “He hoped for a world where everybody’s life was like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Then no one person’s life would ever be an inconvenience to anyone else’s. It would just fit snugly in its very own, specially designed spot.”
Emmett knew that choices needed to be made. And when he was free of Duchess, he could have just kept driving. But Emmett knew that Duchess was in trouble, and one more time he would try to help. He returned to Woolly’s family estate in the Adirondacks. Duchess and Emmett were of different minds. There would be no peace between them.
The Reviewer
Michael Attard is a Canadian who has lived in Gwangju since 2004. Though officially retired, he still teaches a few private English classes. He enjoys reading all kinds of books and writes for fun. When the weather is nice, you may find him on a hiking trail.