
Summary
An astonishing debut novel that bears witness to the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and the first term of Obama’s presidency, The Travelers is both an intimate family portrait and a searing examination of America today.
When the boy was four, he asked his father why people needed sleep. His father said, ‘So God could unfuck all the things people fuck up.’
LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 2020
As America recovers from the Second Wor…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781784708863 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1784708860 |
| Author: | Regina Porter |
| Publisher: | Vintage Publishing |
| Imprint: | Vintage |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 16 September 2020 |
| Weight: | 256g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 20mm |
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Critics Review
The Travelers is a rare debut that heralds what should be a long and promising career.
The Travelers is a rare debut that heralds what should be a long and promising career. * Times Literary Supplement *
An astoundingly audacious debut. * Oprah Magazine *
Regina Porter’s sprawling, sparkling debut novel… is an exhilarating ride. Porter is a wickedly astute chronicler of human foibles. In her hands, this series of glimpses feels something like life itself. * Guardian *
Spanning six decades and three continents…[The Travelers] is held together by an elegant web of connections… Porter has a striking habit of telescoping time to chart individual trajectories… The often breathtaking immediacy and assurance of Porter’s prose carries you through. * Daily Mail *
If you’re looking for a poetic, spare, sometimes funny tale of ordinary people pining for meaningful connections — or if you’re someone who wishes Raymond Carver had published a novel — you have arrived. * New York Times *
This kaleidoscopic debut novel… deftly skips back and forth through the decades, sometimes summarizing a life in a few paragraphs, sometimes spending pages on one conversation. As one character observes, “We move in circles in this life.” * New Yorker *
[A] remarkable debut novel… There is a confidence to Porter’s writing that makes it hard to believe that this is her first novel… The Travelers succeeds because Porter is so clear-eyed when documenting human interactions, the mass of particularities amounting to a gloriously and depressingly messy picture of life in America. * Literary Review *
American history comes to vivid, engaging life in this tale of two interconnected families (one white, one black)… the complex, beautifully drawn characters are unique and indelible. * Entertainment Weekly *
A sprawling, ambitious debut … Beautifully written and intricately plotted. * Kirkus *
An absolute wonder of a novel. A sweeping examination of race and class within America’s troubled history. A love letter to fearless women laced with a sharp humour. I’m thrilled by the magnitude, ingenuity and heart of Regina Porter’s daring vision.
About The Author
Regina Porter
Regina Porter is an award-winning playwright and author of The Travelers, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and longlisted for the Orwell Political Fiction Prize. A graduate of the MFA fiction program at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, her writing has been published in the Harvard Review, Tin House and Oxford Review.
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