A stunning debut novel set in the late 1990sââa powerful depiction of the currency of intolerance and addiction in one small townâ (Kirkus Reviews)âabout an androgynous youth who arrives in Minnesota, searching for the mother who abandoned him as a child.
On a clear morning in the summer of 1997, Shane Stephenson arrives in Holm, Minnesota, with only a few changes of clothes, an old Nintendo, and a few dollars to his name. Reeling from the death of his father, Shane wants to find the mother who abandoned him as an adolescentâhoping to reconnect, but also to better understand himself. Against the backdrop of Minnesotaâs rugged wilderness, and a town littered with shuttered shops, graffiti, and crumbling infrastructure, Holm feels wild and dangerous.
Holmâs residents, too, are wary of outsiders, and Shaneâs long blonde hair and androgynous looks draw attention from a violent and bigoted contingent in town, including the unhinged Sven Svenson. He is drawn in by a group of sympathetic friends in their teens and early twenties, all similarly lost: the reckless, charming J and his girlfriend Mary; Jenny, a brilliant and beautiful artist who dreams of escaping Holm; and the mysterious loner Russell, to whom Shane, against his better judgment, feels a strange attraction. As Svenâs threats of violence escalate, Shane is forced to choose between his search for his mother, the first true friendships heâs ever had, and a desire to leave both his past and present behind entirely.
âA cross between two of the greats in those categories: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and Jesusâ Son by Denis Johnsonâ (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Raymond Stromâs Northern Lights presents an unforgettable world and an experience often overlooked, with a new kind of hero to admire.