Burn

Finished April 4

Burn by Peter Heller

This novel absolutely gripped me. It is set in a near future time, where political tensions in the United States are high. Maine has talked about secession, as have some other states. 

Every year Jess and his friend Storey have gone away for a few weeks to hunt, going to different areas of the country. Both men grew up in small town Vermont, and Storey still lives there with his wife and two daughters. Jess now lives in Colorado and split up with his long-term partner a few months ago. 

Jess is the narrator of the novel. 

As the story begins, the hunting time is nearing its end, and the two men hike back to their truck and head south, but they find the bridge on the road is out. When Storey looks at it, he says that it was a deliberate act, but he doesn't know why, maybe they need to rebuilt it. So they try a different route, but they discover another destroyed bridge. They also note that they've met no one else on the road. 

As they head towards a small service centre, they run out of fuel and decide to walk up to get some. But the buildings are burned to the ground and there are bombed out vehicles on the road. 

When they find a small town in a similar condition, and no internet service, they know something big has happened, but don't know what. Is there a civil war? Is something bad happening locally? Storey also has his family to worry about. They are in a nearby state, must be worried about him, and he has no way of reaching them. 

They note that while land transportation options seem destroyed, there are still boats at the docks on the lake, and they might have supplies they can use. As they are now on foot, they look for options and hide when they see others, not sure who to trust. They aren't even sure what direction they should go in. Home is south and west, but south seems difficult. The ocean is east, and maybe others who have fled from this area might go there and they might find a way out. There is also Canada to the north, and that might be an option, except the border might be well-guarded.

As they move as quietly as they can, look for clues as to what their new reality is, and then find another complication that makes their situation both more difficult and more risky, they are in nature, camping and moving through the beautiful inland Maine landscape. 

Jess finds himself spending time in memories as well, of his childhood growing up with Storey and spending time with his family. We learn about how they became close and the experiences they've shared, and the occasional secret they've held apart from each other. This really enriches the story and shows the depth of the friendship and gives us a sense of how their characters formed, and what issues they might have. 

Because of the current American political situation, this novel felt so possible and so scary. Being cut of from everything but each other and the skills they have, these two men search for the truth and a way to stay alive and, for Storey, to return to the family he loves. 

A story that moved me, and that will stay with me.