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A review by isanto
In the Distance by Hernán Díaz
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
TLDR
5/5 on every measure of a book that matters, 4.5/5 on the pain-o-meter. not for the faint of heart.
—
i don’t typically enjoy historical fiction, and even of that genre westerns intrigue me the least. picked this up because i enjoyed “trust” & saw that this was a Pulitzer nominee, so i thought: hopefully this is at least as good as “trust.”
i honestly think this is even better. how do i even articulate what i love about this book?
achingly beautiful prose, masterful narrative structure, exquisite characterization.
“in the distance” is the story of a protagonist more god than man, shrouded in mythos, incomprehensible even to those around him. i cannot think of a less relatable protagonist ive encountered in recent books. and yet, in less than 300 pages, diaz brings him fully to life, crafting a character whose story is so unbelievable that he cannot help but become real. i’m not exaggerating when i say that no protagonist more compelling comes to mind.
diaz’s ability to describe emotion, belief, physical sensation — all of it comes together to create such an immersive book that i felt physically empty after i finished it. reading “in the distance” is so intimate that it feels like hearing a confession, like being compelled to bear witness.
from a literary standpoint, diaz plays with a lot of different elements and themes — time, legend-making, storytelling, solitude, — that make the book truly artful.
in the end i’m just a hoe for a story about stories: what does it mean to tell a story about ourselves? what is the self if not a story? and what do we do when our stories are told for us?
to me, this is the perfect bildungsroman.
even if you’re like me and don’t care for westerns or historical fiction, if you’re looking for exquisite (and i mean exquisite) writing, a unique protagonist, or simply to become very upset, definitely give this a try.
5/5 on every measure of a book that matters, 4.5/5 on the pain-o-meter. not for the faint of heart.
—
i don’t typically enjoy historical fiction, and even of that genre westerns intrigue me the least. picked this up because i enjoyed “trust” & saw that this was a Pulitzer nominee, so i thought: hopefully this is at least as good as “trust.”
i honestly think this is even better. how do i even articulate what i love about this book?
achingly beautiful prose, masterful narrative structure, exquisite characterization.
“in the distance” is the story of a protagonist more god than man, shrouded in mythos, incomprehensible even to those around him. i cannot think of a less relatable protagonist ive encountered in recent books. and yet, in less than 300 pages, diaz brings him fully to life, crafting a character whose story is so unbelievable that he cannot help but become real. i’m not exaggerating when i say that no protagonist more compelling comes to mind.
diaz’s ability to describe emotion, belief, physical sensation — all of it comes together to create such an immersive book that i felt physically empty after i finished it. reading “in the distance” is so intimate that it feels like hearing a confession, like being compelled to bear witness.
from a literary standpoint, diaz plays with a lot of different elements and themes — time, legend-making, storytelling, solitude, — that make the book truly artful.
in the end i’m just a hoe for a story about stories: what does it mean to tell a story about ourselves? what is the self if not a story? and what do we do when our stories are told for us?
to me, this is the perfect bildungsroman.
even if you’re like me and don’t care for westerns or historical fiction, if you’re looking for exquisite (and i mean exquisite) writing, a unique protagonist, or simply to become very upset, definitely give this a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Torture