The Lincoln Highway By Amor Towles

"But sometimes a man's bad luck becomes too great to surmount, no matter how much time you give him."

It’s June of 1954 when 18 and some months old Emmett Watson is driven home by Warden Williams amidst subsequently serving time in a Kansas youth facility. Emmett has to tie up his late father’s estate when his little brother leaves town to restart with a fresh mindset and ambiance. Emmett and Billy possess vastly different ideas as to the route one should head to: with Billy adamant on following the Lincoln Highway, where their now-estranged mother was thought to be residing. As Emmett follows his work and its path, though much to his disbelief, Duchess and Wooly have managed to secrete themselves venturing on a road trip of their own. What follows is madness and mayhem, but what a journey, pun intended.

Amor Towles does a phenomenal job beguiling the historical adventure set in the 1950s, brilliantly imaginative, and with a remarkable troupe of characters, ostensibly about a Lincoln Highway Road trip to California that keeps getting derailed. The traits of Emmet Watson were surprisingly composed and mature; upon his unsuccessful father's death, the accrued debts mean that his family’s farm has been foreclosed by the bank. Our male protagonist has planned new beginnings, from picking up his 8-year-old brother, Billy, driving his 1948 Studebaker, to starting a more sheltered future in California. I find myself going back and re-thinking Emmett and Billy’s characters. Their bond was beyond fun and wholesome – Emmett’s cautious guard and Billy with the ever-innocent affection: both stealing whatever scene they were written in, while truly outshining the rest of the primes. I’d petition for them to have their very own story paged 600+, truly.

Overall, what an adventure! Towles has done an excellent job here in presenting an intricately accurate depiction of America in the '50s. His distinct style of writing ensures that at no point in the story is the reader pulled out of the book. It’s no surprise that this was radiantly written, is extremely creative, imaginative, and simply vivid. Characters are so well-crafted that they feel authentic plus real. Whilst the three of them have erred, there is an elegant yet simple morality, with Emmett being an especially good man. It was a roller coaster that makes you gush over the characters and then makes you uneasy, delivering shocks and surprises along the way.

It truly classifies as an excellent and original read. The storytelling is lively and engaging, takes the reader on a barren ride with ample twists and turns. The book manages to showcase the good, the bad, and the amazingly charming character traits of our species. Another winner from the amazing talent that Mr. Amor Towles is. Totally recommend!