Metro Reco: The Lost Highway

David Adams Richards’ latest novel, The Lost Highway, is a suspenseful and contemplative meditation on ethics and morality.

Alex Chapman is a misanthropic intellectual. He spent most of his life feeling alienated, from his family, classmates, pretty much his entire community (down on its heels Miramichi). Having thought he’d finally found a home in academe, he’s left in the cold when he’s abruptly fired under stupid circumstances, before completing his doctorate.

As a teacher of ethics, Alex has mastered the ability to rationalize any moral position, so when he has the opportunity to swindle his estranged uncle out of a winning lottery ticket, he has ready arguments for doing whatever it takes. But when he reluctantly enlists a former nemesis (and alter-ego) to help him in his scheme, the situation becomes unbearably complex, and he enters into moral territory even he is unequipped to handle.

The Lost Highway is classic Richards—poetic and deliberate, he’s in no rush to reach his dramatic denouement, but perseverant readers are rewarded for their efforts.

David Adams Richards is the author of the Giller prize winning Mercy Among the Children and Friends of Meager Fortune, his most recent novel.

I have copies for the first three Canadians to email metro[underscore]mama[at]hotmail[dot]com. Please include your mailing address in your email. And I’d love to hear your thoughts once you’ve had a chance to read it!