I hadn’t previously read anything by Jess Walter, but the description suggested road trips, and I love reading “road novels.” Well. The tale did contain some entertaining, some perilous travels. But the emotional journeys of estranged father/ grandfather Rhys and his daughter Bethany gave the story a bittersweet yet heartwarming mix that this reader responded to. Walter’s characterizations of the unique grandkids along with a bevy of quirky companions added joy to the reading. A nice surprise of a book.
4.5 stars, rounded up.

If your capacity for humanity, empathy, and understanding isn’t enhanced by reading this powerful novel, then I don’t know what to say! I’ve read other works by this author but I think I enjoyed this one the most. The structure of the book told from different character perspectives worked really really well. Jess Walter is clearly a talented writer! So glad I read this! Thank you NetGalley for an early copy!

It took me a beat to find the rhythm here, but this was really enjoyable. I've actually never read this author before, even though he was considered local-ish at my previous library: everybody was already reading his previous work, I wanted to read to books that didn't have big audiences yet.

Although the cast becomes rather large (for me), characters come in a few at a time, and each major player is the focus of at least one chapter, so there's an opportunity to get to know them a bit.

The main character, a divorced older man, finds himself unexpectedly taking care of his grandkids, whom he didn't immediately recognize upon arrival. He has some misadventures with a friend, and with the PI ex-boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend, trying to find his daughter, who has gone off to find herself at a music festival. He, and the varying cast, have run-ins with his son-in-law and his friends, members of a fundamentalist near-cult in Idaho, which always end in some kind of violence. This will be called "fiction" or even "literary fiction" and is good for readers who liked Cloud Cuckoo Land or other Anthony Doerr books. I can't help but think, though, that if a few characters had been assigned different genders, this would be consigned more on the side of "women's fiction" or "relationship fiction" and we'd be using words like "zany" to describe the road trip to the hills of Idaho instead of calling it a semi-successful rescue. That's less about the book itself, though, and more about how the book is received.

Enjoyable overall. I liked the pacing, although the ending did feel rather abrupt. eARC from NetGalley.

I'll confess, I was a little afraid of this book in these hot-button political times but this was wonderfully done. This would be especially good for book clubs right now—there's so much here to talk about.

I loved this story about family dysfuction and the current political climate. It makes you appreciate family and try to accept them where they are at the moment. They main character tried to opt-out, but came through for his family when needed.

A fresh title by a beloved WA author. Timely and surprisingly funny given that that book revolves around a family broken down by political and religious differences. A cast of quirky and mostly very lovable characters: a smart mouth reporter, a bombastic ex-cop, an aspiring Episcopal priest with boxing background, and a generous Native American couple tolerant of Kinnick’s idiosyncrasies. Walter has a lot of empathy for these people and underscores the motivations for their poor behavior without casting harsh judgement.

Despite some dark topics, environmental destruction, gun violence, and religious fundamentalism, this novel has a warm heart. A lot of the time it has a buddy comedy feel to it and the resolution is satisfyingly bittersweet. Walter’s books are broadly appealing and well written, this is a must for public library collections.

Jess Walter is a talented writer - I especially love his short story collection The Angel of Rome. But I think the best way to sum up my reaction to his new novel So Far Gone is that I appreciated it more than I enjoyed it. Maybe it hits too close to home with our current cascade of political horrors, but I found it heavy and challenging to get through (though I felt the same way about Demon Copperhead, so take that with a big grain of salt) - it just wasn't a book I looked forward to picking up.

That said, while I was initially taken aback by the ending, upon reflection I think it's brilliant - like, it's all fun and games to indulge certain views until...it isn't. And while I'm not feeling particularly tolerant at the moment, I was rooting for Rhys and Bethany, and did begrudgingly feel empathy for some of the folks who were caught up in the camaraderie of the Army of Our Lord more than anything else. In sum, I'll carry this at the store, but I'm unlikely to reread it for pleasure anytime soon!

This is a tough read for many as it depicts reality in all it's gritty detail. An estranged, off-grid living Grandfather is suddenly charged with caring for his daughter's children (they have different fathers) when his daughter disappears and her husband goes to search for her. The children are promptly kidnapped by gun-toting religious fanatics and things quickly spiral downhill. Fisticuffs and gunplay leave a trail of death and destruction as events play out.

Jess Walter captures our collective national moment. Politics and families are complicated, and the choices we make as parents can impact us more deeply than we imagine.

After a Thanksgiving conversation goes south, Rhys literally removes himself from the conversation. So far out of the conversation that no one can really find him, until one day, his grandkids (who he doesn't even recognize) show up on his doorstep. A conspiracy loving son-in-law, a daughter struggling with mental health, a pastor who boxes, and an acid tripping electronic musician all play a part of the story.

Walter's characters come alive and the story compelling.