This novel makes you think about humanity and what makes a society in a way I had never considered. I really enjoyed being inside Håkan’s mind, however, and see how he interpreted the action around him. I just wanted Håkan to catch a break and be reunited with his brother, but there was always a new obstacle to overcome. I was engrossed in the story from the beginning, but I found some of the plot points to be exhausting. We felt Håkan’s unease and were able to experience his journey alongside him. Having the main character be a Swedish young man in California helped cement the foreignness of the landscape. While I’m nowhere near an expert, I know Diaz played with a lot of tropes and defied expectations. This was such an interesting take on the Western genre. As he struggles to reach his goal of meeting his brother, Håkan wrestles with isolation and grapples with what he finds out about humanity. Through his interactions, he begins to make a name for himself, one he is not too proud of. Hernan Diaz, In the Distance 23 likes Like There was a sky. After landing in San Francisco, he sets out on a journey to New York, where he is confident he will be reunited with his brother.Īlong the way, he has various encounters with travelers going West, which always seem to take him off course. In the Distance by Hernan Diaz 12,878 ratings, 4.13 average rating, 1,707 reviews In the Distance Quotes Showing 1-15 of 15 A year and an instant are equivalent in a monotonous life. After a mix-up separates the boys on their way over to the new and foreign land, Håkan has to quickly figure out how to survive on his own. Håkan, a young boy from Sweden, is swept up by his brother’s tales of America.

Diaz in the distance