In 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson returns to his foreclosed Nebraska farm after serving time at a juvenile work farm for involuntary manslaughter. His plan is to drive his eight-year-old brother, Billy, to California to start a new life. However, two escapees from the work farm, Duchess and Woolly, stow away in Emmett’s trunk and steal his blue Studebaker. The narrative follows their ten-day Odyssey in the opposite direction toward New York City, where the boys encounter hobos, traveling preachers, and the remnants of Woolly’s aristocratic family.
This book serves readers who enjoy historical picaresque novels and character studies of young protagonists navigating moral ambiguity. It appeals to those interested in the post-WWII American landscape and the tension between destiny and personal agency. Readers walk away with a specific understanding of how childhood myths and classical literature shape a person's adult ethics. It offers a detailed look at the rigid social hierarchies of the 1950s and the difficulty of escaping a criminal record in a small town.
Insights from The Lincoln Highway
“A hero is a man who is afraid and goes on anyway.”
Billy carrying that blue book everywhere shows how much we need maps. Even if the directions aren't real. It keeps him steady when everything else is falling apart.
Emmett just wants to fix his father's mistakes and be decent. It hurts seeing how hard it is to stay good when people keep stealing your future.
“We have no way of knowing which of our actions will be the one that defines us.”
Duchess is the kind of friend who destroys your life while trying to help. He thinks he is settling debts. Really he is just creating new ones.
Sally stays behind in that kitchen and realizes she doesn't have to wait. Her jam making is a small rebellion against being stuck. She decides to drive herself.
- Published
- 2021
- Publisher
- Viking
- ISBN
- 9780735222359
- Language
- EN
