So Far Gone

by Jess Walter, Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator)

"As talented a natural storyteller as is working in American fiction."— Washington Post

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins —and in the wild, propulsive spirit of Charles Portis’ True Grit —comes a hilarious and brilliantly provocative adventure through life in modern America, about a reclusive journalist forced back into the world to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren.

A few weeks after the 2016 election, at Thanksgiving with his daughter’s family, Rhys Kinnick snapped. After an escalating fight about politics, he hauled off and punched his conspiracy theorist son-in-law. Horrified by what he'd done, by the state of the country and by his own spiraling mental health, Rhys chucked his smartphone out a car window and fled for a cabin in the woods, off the grid and with no one around—except a pack of hungry raccoons.

Now, seven years later, Kinnick’s old life is about to land right back on his crumbling doorstep. Can this failed husband and father, a man with no phone, no computer, and a car that barely runs, reemerge into a broken world to track down his missing daughter and save his sweet, precocious grandchildren from the members of a dangerous militia?

With the help of his caustic ex-girlfriend, a bipolar retired detective, and his only friend (who happens to be furious with him), Kinnick heads off on a madcap journey through cultural lunacy and the rubble of a life he thought he’d left behind. So Far Gone is a rollicking, razor-sharp, and ultimately moving road trip through a fractured nation, from a writer who has been called “a genius of the modern American moment” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

Audiobook

First published June 10, 2025

About the author

Jess Walter is the author of eight novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe among many others.

Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington.

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts with punching a Trumper in the face and heads straight into a cult. Goals.

[Canadian Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retired journalist, Kinnick, lives off the grid and alone. He hasn’t seen his daughter and grandkids for 7 years. He grew tired of the conspiracy freak her daughter married, tired of technology and withdrew into the woods. A father and daughter whose relationship is broken.

One day, the grandkids arrive. Their mother gone. Now he needs to reemerge into this world he revolted against and find her before the children are submerged into this extremist religious/militia cult.

Walter has created some quirky characters. Kinnick is rather hoboish, dimwitted & impulsive. There is humour and sarcasm woven throughout and as serious and heavy as the search is-we go to hallucinogenic festival in Canada-we see them for the humans they are. Flawed but endearing.
An entertaining and gritty read.
4.25⭐️

Just one thing Walter: Guns are illegal in Canada. It wouldn’t have gotten across the border. Just saying.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was skeptical but curious of this book. I haven't read Jess Walter before, though I know he's had some very popular books. But somehow Walter walks a real tightrope here, the book is very much about Our Present Moment without getting you so steeped in the terrors of the far right that it's going to be more stress than entertainment. It is funny very often, but it doesn't feel like it treats its subjects too lightly.

The book is at its best when it follows our protagonist, Rhys Kinnick, though we spend time with several other characters along the way. Rhys is a man who knows he's messed up and has dealt with it by running away from everyone and everything. Now, he is drawn back into the mess he left behind when he has to step in to care for his estranged daughter's children for a few days. Kinnick repeatedly comes face to face with the people he's abandoned and while there is often an immediate need that overrides his need to explain or apologize, eventually he has to start examining the choices he's made.

Rhys is a man who can be saved. He is a man with ideals whose disappointment is not only with the larger world around him but also his own failures. So yes, maybe the lesson he has to learn is that it is good to have people in your life and it's a very simple lesson, but following him through it we get to feel like it's very earned.

I had one of those experiences reading this book where it felt very similar to another book I'd recently read, Kevin Wilson's Run for the Hills. Both are about a dad who abandoned his kid(s) and a search for understanding/reparation. They take drastically different approaches, especially the kid vs parent viewpoint. But they are both books that are examining a lot of the same themes, and are even striving for a similar tone mixing the comedic and the serious. This is much more satisfying because, well, this dad can be saved. This dad has not done the unforgivable, if anything he's acted in a way everyone understands even if everyone can also agree that it wasn't appropriate. So of course this has a satisfaction Wilson's novel cannot achieve, that book is so much more about disappointment. This book is an optimistic one, it is probably too optimistic. The ending feels like it takes care of all the un-solve-able problems leaving us only with the solve-able ones. That element of it feels very detached from Our Present Moment. Where yes the threat is very big and very real, but this kind of neat little bow doesn't feel like something we can get.

You have to be in it with Rhys, and you have to accept that this is at its heart a very simple book, when it comes to its themes and its morals. But perhaps that is what we need in Our Present Moment more than anything.

[Will Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a journalist. As an American, as a rationalist, Kinnick had come to terms with the fact that 20 percent of his countrymen were greedy assholes. But then in 2016, the greedy assholes joined with the idiot assholes and the paranoid assholes in what turned out to be an unbeatable constituency. Kinnick realizing that the asshole ceiling was much higher than he’d thought, perhaps half the country. Whatever the number, it was more than he could bear. Especially when they were in his own family.

--------------------------------------

At some point, you look around, and think, I don’t belong here anymore. I don’t want to have anything to do with any of this.

How far gone is too far?

Rhys Kinnick had just bloody had it. An environmental reporter faced with the global shrinkage of the industry, Trump, his daughter married to an ultra-Christian know-it-all, among other insults of the age, he finally blows a gasket at a family Thanksgiving and pops his son-in-law. With that dramatic statement he leaves, heads north to a cinder-block house on forty acres in the woods, chucks his cell phone out the car window and throws himself away for the next seven years. Off grid, working on a dubious opus magnus, his life is reduced. Until one day, out of the blue, a woman appears at his door with two children in tow. So, who are you now? The kids he fails to recognize are his own grandchildren, sent with a neighbor of theirs based on a message from their mother, who had disappeared. And thus the journey begins, as Rhys is dragged back into the world he had rejected, trying to find Bethany.

My career sort of began— my writing career— writing about people on the far right, in the fringe. There’s a moment in this book where Rhys finds his old editor and says, “Who’s covering the radical right now?” and his editor says “The government reporter.” - from Literary Hub interview

Rhys’s challenge is made worse by Bethany’s husband, proud member of the Church Of the Blessed Fire, and not so proud recipient of Rhys’s fist. Shane wants the kids to be with him. He goes as far as to send two goons from his congregation to enforce that desire. Medical care is required. Rhys loses the kids with extreme prejudice. But his quest has now expanded from finding Bethany to bringing back his grandkids as well. He rounds up one of his few friends for assistance.

As he watched politics break up families, an idea formed. “I was thinking, ‘How do I reconnect with my childhood friend who thinks the Earth is flat? How do I reconnect with the nephew who won’t talk to anyone in the family?’” Walter said. Meanwhile, “I had this urge to look away, just run away from it all.”

Well, the answer is that it might not be possible to reconnect once the reality-brain barrier has been breached, and rational processing has yielded to revealed truth. Doesn’t mean the nuts are all terrible people, but it does mean it is pointless to try persuading them of anything not sanctioned by their bubble. This is a challenge for Walter, as well. Some of his extremist characters come off worse than others. Some are well-meaning, some have redeeming human value, but at least one is a pure villain from central casting. Of course, there seem to be many of those about in the world these days, so I am not sure that is an unfair mix of character portraits.


Jess Walter - Image from the Inlander – shot by Young Kwak

Rhys is no angel. I mean, if a journalist cannot be relied on to use your words instead of taking a swing at someone, there is problem. And walking away from your family, even if some of them are indeed odious, FOR SEVEN YEARS, requires more understanding and sympathy than, I expect, many can muster. But then, redemption is a core element of So Far Gone. While Rhys seeks some sort of exoneration for his willful, lengthy absence, Bethany has to cope with her mostly historical drug use and her inclination to bail on people, including, now, her own kids.

Rhys seeks intel on his assailants from Lucy Park, the city editor at his erstwhile employer, and an old flame. She introduces him to a retired cop (and ex of hers) with something to prove, and the hunt is on.

The format is to follow one character at a time to generate a three-dimensional image of the events. First, we follow Rhys, then Lucy, then the retired cop, Chuck, followed by Bethany, his granddaughter, Leah, grandson Asher, Shane, then Rhys's friend Brian. All chapters share a common format "What Happened to ___?"

The story moves along as we gain nuance and perspective at every step. Maybe feel something more for a character we had not cared for much. The approach is strength of the novel.

While I would not describe this as a particularly funny book, it is satiric and has its moments, with a fair number of sharp barbs being inserted into the appropriate targets. There are least five LOL moments in the book that I recorded in my notes. There might be more for you. There is a running joke about a zygomatic arch, and a pretty funny bit about Rhys’s early days at the cabin.

Walter loves writing about his home turf, having set several of his novels in Spokane or environs, and So Far Gone continues that inclination, in a less traveled portion of it. This neck of the woods is one that Walter happens to know well.

Stevens County stretches from just northwest of Spokane to the Canadian border. It’s mostly dry farmland dotted with mobile homes and trailers. Toss in any sort of fixed structure around the trailer, Walter said, and you have yourself a “Stevens County Mansion.”
Walter grew up visiting his grandparents there until he was in the third grade, when it became his home for two years so his father could live out the dream of a quieter life. Walter and his siblings learned to do “all kinds of farmy stuff,” bucking bales and looking after the chickens and cattle. He and his brother would toss a football their grandmother made by sewing together pocket squares. - The Washington Post interview

It seems pretty clear that there are definitely people we know who are indeed long gone. But, in a world spinning out of control, maybe the answer is not to drop out, but take on the challenge. So Far Gone is just enough gone to show a way back.

“I thought (the plot of the book) would be something we would remember,” Walter said. “Not something we would still be living.” - from the Spokesman-Review interview

Review posted - 06/20/25

Publication date – 06/10/25

I received an ARE of So Far Gone from Harper in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to my esteemed Book Goddess.



This review will soon be cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!

=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to Walter’s personal, Twitter, GR and FB pages

Profile - from The Cabin

Jess Walter is the award-winning, bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins, The Cold Millions, and The Zero. Walter's work has been translated into 34 languages, recognized with honors like the National Book Award finalist and the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and featured in Best American Short Stories, Harper’s, Esquire, and The New York Times. A former journalist and screenwriter, he brings a powerful voice to literature, blending sharp storytelling with deep social insight.

Interviews
-----Washington Post - America’s ‘spot news novelist’ takes on the Trump era from Spokane by Travis M. Andrews
-----Literary Hub - Jess Walter on the American Family Unplugged - In Conversation with Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan
-----The Spokesman-Review - After 30 years of publication, Jess Walter is back on the stage with a new book. This time, it might hit too close to home - with Rob Curley

My reviews of earlier work by Jess Walter
-----2022 - The Angel of Rome and Other Stories
-----2020 - The Cold Millions
-----2013 - We Live in Water

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Jess Walter had not written this book, I doubt whether I would have read it . It’s about man who runs away from his unhappy life to a remote cabin. There’s a “Christian Nationalist Militia”, the kidnapping of children , and there’s a crazy chase to find them with the help of a “bipolar detective”. A story line that would not normally interest me. But I enjoyed three other novels that Walter has written, as well as a short story collection. He’s a great story teller and I find that his writing just flows beautifully, so I couldn’t pass it up and I’m glad I didn’t. I was surprisingly drawn in and connected.

Recluse Rhys Kinnick is almost immediately remorseful for his self imposed estrangement from society and his family as his two grandchildren 13 and 8 show up on his doorstep when their mother, Rhys’ daughter goes missing. Living off the grid for the past seven years, having left right after the 2016 election, he blames himself realizing that he not only left behind the chaos in the government and in the country but the daughter and grandkids he loves.

“No, it was he who had failed, he who couldn't adjust, he who couldn't deal with this banal, brutal idiocracy, he who couldn't admit this was the world now. And so ... he'd stepped aside. “

This is multi layered with a dark commentary on politics, radical right wingers who get out of control and a story of a dysfunctional family. In spite of being dark and violent, it is also humorous at times and it turns out to be quite a touching story of a father and daughter, about reconciliation and forgiveness. I couldn’t help but love Kinnick inspite of his flaws and I actually understood his desire to escape the chaos . I really liked Chuck, the manic ex cop , in spite of his being a bit of a loose cannon . And I loved the grandkids. Jess Walter has definitely become one of my favorite writers.

I received a copy of this book from Harper through Edelweiss.

[Barbara K · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems as if I hesitate every morning before checking the news with the thought in mind, “What fresh hell will this be?” (Apparently the standard version of the quote may not first have come from the typewriter of Dorothy Parker, but it just seems so typical of her, doesn’t it?)

There is nowhere to hide and no one to turn to for protection. It is up to us as citizens to unite in resistance; to keep each other safe and hopeful of some end to whatever horror will threaten us next.

And there, that reality, is the crux of this splendid book by Jess Walter. The main character, Rhys Kinnick, has spent the past seven years hiding in a remote cabin after undergoing a meltdown in response to the 2016 election, and more specifically, to his right-wing, conspiracy-loving, Christian Nationalist son-in law. He has had virtually no contact with his daughter and her children in that time.

And then one day their lives go pear-shaped, and the children, 9 and 13, end up on his doorstep. Rhys realizes that he has no option but to re-enter the world, protect those kids, locate his estranged and now missing daughter, and pull her family back together again.

Nothing goes smoothly, and things definitely get worse before they get better, but Walter keeps us turning the page - and laughing - with Rhys’s manic adventures. He is, to quote his best friend, “kind of hapless” and his efforts often go astray, but we root for him in his growing self-awareness.

The humor in the book comes not just from Rhys’ internal rants, but some of the side characters. There is the nine year old grandson who is cheerfully inept at both physical and intellectual challenges and cannot stop asking questions. And the bipolar ex-cop who leans toward irrational, violent solutions to Rhys’s problems when he goes off his meds. I don’t remember the last time I laughed out loud as often while reading.

Which is important, because underneath all the humor, Rhys and his daughter are dealing with some serious issues. Their battles will be best fought if they combine their efforts, but can they?

This book is a great antidote to the ease with which we can slide into hopelessness in the face of the political and social disintegration all around us (not to mention those melting icecaps and glaciers). We may be tempted to share Rhys’s rants, but we have to remember to stay engaged and put one foot in front of the other every day. And to take care of each other.

Note: The book takes place in the area around Spokane, in eastern Washington State, extending into Canada and Idaho. Where, just yesterday, a young man started a forest fire and then murdered two fire fighters who responded. The news reports pointed out that he grew up not far from a smelter, proposed as a trigger for excessive violence in Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.

Another Note: The narration by the incomparable Edoardo Ballerini was absolutely brilliant! Seriously, the voice he uses for Rhys is unlike anything Ive heard from him before, but matches Rhys’s bumbling, vague essence perfectly.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. I loved “Beautiful Ruins” some 12-15 years ago but had not seen anything intriguing from Walter since, until this new title “So Far Gone” showed up on my book-dar. And while I really enjoyed it, it was also a bit OTT. Still, I easily got into this story of MC Rhys, now living off the grid in the aftermath of COVID & the rise of MAGA. He’s persona-non-grata with his daughter & her family until his grandkids are sent to him & then subsequently abducted. So this is becomes quite the odyssey then & accompanied by a strange & motley crew as he sets out to save them - and maybe himself. Overall, I liked it, but also appreciated what Walter had to say about our current super messed-up time-line.

[Daniel Shindler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jess Walter’s novel approaches a serious subject with a light touch. It is populated with off beat characters.Adults stumbling through life are confronted with precocious children full of rapier wit and repartee. They encounter bible thumping preachers and messianic militias as they navigate the perils of present day America.At times the protagonist, Rhys Kinnick, must wonder if he has mistakenly jumped through Lewis Carrol’s Looking Glass while he copes with the turbulence of new social and political realities.

Two defining events propel the arc of Rhys’ life after the 2016 election in America. The first takes place at his daughter Bethany’s post election Thanksgiving dinner. Bethany’s husband Shane is a reformed substance abuser who ultimately will channel his addictive impulses into a radical Christian Nationalist group. Rhys, who harbors views well to the left of Shane’s world view, has become increasingly disturbed by the trends in America. The two men become embroiled in a political debate and Rhys, having exhausted his impulse control, punches Shane in the face.This aggressive act forces him to realize that he has become untethered from the tenets that anchor him to society. In response, he reverts to a hermitic, simpler Walden like life in the Pacific Northwest. His dissociation from modern life is a reflection of the dismay and social paralysis felt by large swaths of Americans as the fabric of society begins to fray and assume a more authoritarian hue.

The second event occurs seven years after Rhys’ self imposed exile.His grandchildren, abandoned by their mother,arrive at his house and Rhys struggles to remember who they are. Rhys realizes that he has disconnected from his family as well as from society and is galvanized to find his daughter by embarking on a picaresque journey of reconciliation and redemption.The road to redemption is littered with characters whose core is slightly off center and quirky. Their adventures at times strain credibility containing situations and dialogue resembling cartoon frames with onomatopoetic words such as OOF! and SPLAT! The result is a blend of humor and sardonic social commentary.

This light touch in characterization and plotting enables the author to address many pressing social issues while maintaining a safe distance from their harsh reality. The dangers of gun violence, climate change and the sharp divisions in American politics are topics that recur throughout the novel. Rhys and his son in law Shane embody the talking points of the two sides of the political spectrum.Their conflicts and travails carry forth the debate raging in America.

As the narrative approached conclusion, I realized that the author’s light touch and caricature in addressing these issues makes the novel both entertaining and comfortable to read.However, this blend also diminishes the heft attached to the serious questions posed in the novel.America is literally under siege.Major cities witness the presence of armed forces in the streets, having been deployed under questionable Constitutional authority. Segments of the population have been marginalized and demonized as detrimental to the social order. Many fear that American democracy might be beyond salvation. I am always appreciative of popular novels that raise pertinent political questions. Nevertheless, I would have found the novel more compelling had it removed some of the safe distance it created and delved more fully into the dangers in front of us.3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried at first that this book was too 2025 for me to read right now. The culture wars are in our faces everywhere, and I’m going to read fiction about it too? I needn’t have worried. This is a very different book than the other two books by Jess Walter I’ve read, a smaller and more personal story than Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions (both of which I very much enjoyed), but it grabbed me quickly, and it’s about people, not the culture wars.

The main narrator is Rhys, a retired reporter, a divorced father and grandfather. He can’t believe how stupid the world has gotten, especially when he confronts it in his own family when his son-in-law Shane, who is an idiot, embraces the conspiracy theories and un-Christlike Christianity that has become all the rage in our time. Having seriously messed up a Thanksgiving dinner by reacting with a punch in the face to Shane’s bullshit, he decides he’s maybe had it with other humans, and that maybe he’s not really useful to them anymore anyway. He moves into some land in the woods left to him by his father. and he lives very much alone for (I think) seven years. The action of the novel starts when certain events make it obvious that his family does need him. Shane has gotten involved with a right-wing militia, his daughter is missing, and his grandchildren show up at his door. There are a number of pretty great characters that get into the mix, and that’s when I started deciding I really liked this book. It's also funny, funnier than Walter's other novels, although they had their moments. I sped through this. It got a little too exciting towards the end, which robbed me of at least an hour of sleep, but I forgive this novel.

Rhys is the narrator most of the time, but several of the other characters get a turn, as well. I appreciate how Walter shows compassion to his characters, even the jerky son-in-law, who has kind of a beautiful moment towards the end. The writing is great, of course, and I like the journey Rhys takes in this novel. I mean, the emotional journey, not all the driving, although there really is a ton of driving in it. Also a number of women who are trying not to lose patience with all of the men’s nonsense.

[Lindsay L]

DNF @ 25%

Not for me. Not enjoying the storyline or audio narrator.

[Strega Di Gatti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for all the folks who've ever wanted to punch a MAGA-head relative. Ex-environmental journalist Rhys Kinnick is living your dream! 

After losing his temper with his asshole son-in-law, Rhys pulls a “screw you guys I’m going home” and disappears into the Washington woods for a solitary, reflective life. Rhys is edumacated, so he would describe this as a Thoreau move rather than a Cartman one. 

Years post-punching, Rhys' daughter has disappeared and his grandchildren need his help. Can he get back on the grid to rescue his family? Can he borrow somebody's iPhone?

If you are expecting Brian Garfield's Death Wish with a side of the "Taken" franchise, you will be disappointed! Rhys is less of an avenging angel and more of a "guy who feels intense regret for his life choices while driving between locations". There's a lot of driving in this book, but it's not boring. When HBO turns this into a limited series starring Bryan Cranston, I hope they keep the frenetic energy up.

The Christian Right is pretty scary these days so we must ignore the implausibility of certain plot points. It's a little weird to think that armed strangers could assault an old man, kidnap his grandkids, and even shoot a retired cop but various law enforcement agencies just shrug it off. I mean, what's a Town Sheriff for if not to be in Cahoots with Evil Locals? 

Also, if a Christian theocracy does indeed rise in America and rule of law falls, I don't want my Goodreads review of this novel to seem naive. 

[Alena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My appreciation of Jess Walter grows with every book I read and, although Christian fundamentalism, radical militants, a reclusive grandfather and a family drama are not necessarily what I would reach for on vacation, Walter blends them into a truly compelling story I did not want to put down. I keep thinking of the word “propulsive” in terms of his storytelling. I was hooked from the first moment Rys’ unrecognizable grandchildren showed up on his off-the-grid doorstep and held rapt through the stories of the band of misfits he assembled to find their missing mom. And that’s just what’s on the storytelling surface.
What makes this novel so great are the issues simmering below the surface (a hallmark of all of the author’s work). Set in Idaho and Washington just after the pandemic, Walter brings the shattered world to palpable life. Violence. Politics. Fear. Anger. Anxiety.
“The weight of this gun was the exact weight of his anger and his fear and his sense of displacement. That's what the gun weighed. That's where its incredible balance lay."
Underpinning all of it is love – regret and mistakes too – but mostly love. I could not help but root for Rhys and his family, immediately forgiving their mistakes and foibles, as the story ramped up in action and intensity through its most fitting conclusion.
What a great writer Walter is to keep all of this in balance.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long Time Gone
A review of the Harper Large Print* paperback (June 2025), released simultaneously with the hardcover/paperback/eBook/audiobook.

“Any questions?”
The high note seemed so insane that Kinnick could only laugh. Any questions? How about: What the hell? White Nationalist goons stealing children from church parking lots? Rural sheriffs telling him to go pound sand? A manic ex-cop showing him how to shoot people in the front pocket? Was this just how people behaved now? Is this what the world had come to?

Best of the Year 2025! Yes, I know there are 4 months to go.
Self-imposed recluse ex-journalist Rhys Kinnick is pulled back into the apparent chaos of 2020's America when his grandchildren appear at his woodland retreat. They have been brought by a neighbour on the instructions of Ryan's estranged daughter Bethany who has left for unknown reasons. Bethany's religious zealot husband Shane may be off with his fellow converts in the Church of the Blessed Fire. Rhys's punch-up with Shane from 7 years ago was the cause for the family break.

“Who covers the radical right these days?”
“Uh, the government reporter?”
It took him a moment to understand - that no longer was the fringe on the fringe. She explained to him that state legislators, sheriffs, and county commissioners-even members of Congress-openly expressed beliefs that would have gotten them labeled as members of a hate group a few years earlier, or at least as extremists, or unelectable loons.

Kinnick does not have a long time to renew the family bond, as two of Shane's "Brothers" show up to abduct the kids on Shane's instructions. The beat-down Kinnick seeks help from former work colleague Lucy who brings along ex-cop-on-the-edge Chuck. Kinnick's only other friends are Salish couple Brian and Joanie, who try to help as well. Can they all find and save the kids and figure out what happened to Bethany? The drama and suspense builds to a shocking conclusion.

I've enjoyed several of Jess Walter's past books, but this one felt most timely for the present day. It blends the humour of fish-out-of-water Rhys and his re-entry to the world, the rather sharp and aware commentary of 13-year-old granddaughter Leah and the sweet innocence of 9 year-old grandson Asher, the late-in-life-journey seeking of daughter Bethany, the antics of Lucy and Chuck, the stand-by-ness of Joanie and Brian, the sometimes crazed but also sometimes tempered zealotry of the Brothers of the Blessed Fire and several more quirky characters along the way including a delightful bedtime story featuring Bunathy the heroic bunny 🐰, along with a side-trip to the woods of British Columbia, Canada 🍁 for a tune-in 🎧 & drop-out 💊 electronica ⚡music festival. You can't ask for more than that!

My thanks to GR reviews by Friend Barbara, and Follows Dee, CanadianJen and Linda, who flagged this book for me!

Soundtrack
The actual music mentioned in the book is related to a fictional electronica music festival that takes place in British Columbia, Canada. But from the book title I couldn't help but remember the old Crosby, Stills and Nash song Long Time Gone from their self-titled debut album Crosby, Stills and Nash (1969). You can listen to the song on YouTube here and on Spotify here.

Footnote
* This is my secret weapon in order to access recent books which are in high demand at the Toronto Public Library. The wait list for the Large Print is much shorter than for the regular print editions e.g. as of August 24, 2025 there were 89 holds for 33 copies of the regular print, only 7 holds for the 5 copies of the large print.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Far Gone is the first Walter novel I read.

Rhys Kinnick is a retired journalist, now living as a recluse in a forest. He's had a huge falling out with his only daughter. One day, his two grandchildren are at his door. That unexpected event pulls him out of his stupor and forces him to reassess and take action.

This novel appealed to me a great deal - while it was topical and realistic, it also had some lighter moments, and it was pretty short.

So far gone is ultimately about second chances, about forgiving others and oneself.

I'm eager to read other novels by Jess Walter.

[Tom LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief summary if you’re wondering what this book is about: a retired environmental journalist has lived off-grid in a remote Washington cabin for years, retreating after punching his “MAGA” son-in-law, Shane, during a heated argument. One day his grandchildren arrive with a note from their mother, who’s fled her messy marriage to Shane.

When the kids are kidnapped by members of Shane’s Christian Nationalist militia, Rhys embarks on a chaotic trip across the Pacific Northwest to rescue them.

The novel is brilliant, like anything written by Walter, full of wit and humor, and goes by quickly at about 230 pages.

As a great fan of Jess Walter’s work, I have to admit I was immensely disappointed with his choice to use his new book to get his political frustrations out of his chest, in a very partisan way.

The author kindly humored me on Twitter (X) and told me that his main character Rhys is simply a POV and that he “doesn’t agree with him”.

I’ll try to respect his words, although I’m not naive: you don’t need a forensic psychiatrist to figure out what’s going on here — also based on his clearly leftist posts on X.

He had something in his heart, and he got it out.

Just take a look at some of the positive reviews here. The liberal readers are celebrating by jumping up and down hysterically like college cheerleaders.

In some interviews, Walter was transparent about Rhys being his alter ego in the story. A bit of a “rage fantasy” against the world that can “become so dark” (note: in these days, the best way to spot someone’s TDS is when they tell you: “with all that’s going on in the world..” with a tragic tone that would be justified only if they were a Congolese during the Belgian occupation).

So, when his main character Rhys says that whoever didn’t vote like him is an a——e… while Walter would never admit publicly that he agrees with Rhys, I’m sorry, but obviously he kind of does.

Anyway, I still have a huge respect for Jess Walter as an author.

Just… This is not “political fiction”, this is “fiction with politics in it”. Not a good idea.

Play this trick twice, and you’re going to lose a ton of readers. This one, for sure.

[Liz Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Far Gone was a WILD ride. Jess Walter is back on June 10th with a story that feels a bit like if True Grit met Razorblade Tears with a little bit of Two Step Devil, but it make very accessible, less weird, and warmer. While I prefer the weird and dark, and I really enjoyed this. It’s a story about finding your way when the world makes you just want to hide.

Our lead is Rhys Kinnick, who threw his phone out the window and started living a completely reclusive life after a blowup at the Thanksgiving table after the 2016 election. Seven years later, his barely recognizable grandchildren show up at his door after his daughter goes MIA and his son in law goes far off the deep end . Then…the children get kidnapped! And Rhys has to get them back.

This is very plotty with a lot of bonkers action, but it worked because the heart is there too. While the story doesn’t feel believable, the theme of what makes a life worth living in America’s current state hits all the better with the over the top storyline. I recommend checking this one out!

[Carmel Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read one other Walter novel, which I liked well enough. I think I enjoyed this one more.

If you lean right, this one will make you clench your jaw. But if you're watching our country descend down an undesirable rabbit hole with horror, you might appreciate some of the underlying commentary on a few of those carnival shows. While not the focus of the story, they are side characters and are represented with both stark exposure and a hint of dark humor at times.

The main plot involves a grandfather suddenly thrust into needing to care for his grandchildren after their mother disappears; as well as to search for her. The search involves a curious mix of madcap shenanigans, brief troubling violence, an assortment of likeable characters trying to find their way within guilty histories and pin-balling personalities, and the survival of relationship against all odds. It was an entertaining ride. The characters and dialogue amused me repeatedly, even though the circumstances were somewhat grim.

[Mike Hartnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books that tries to work every current social issue into a story and fails primarily because it doesn’t allow for any depth or exploration. Every character is a cardboard cutout. Any development is in service of wrapping the plot up.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Far Gone has all of Walter's trademarks: satire that is too deeply intelligent and compassionate to be snarky; a protagonist on the edge who does things both hilarious and achingly human to resolve his desperate situation; a setting—Walter's hometown of Spokane and the surrounding wilderness—that elicits both wonder and exasperation; a weaving-in of current events that catalyze the plot. The novel is tight, leaving no spare change under the front seat of the car.

This may be my least favorite novels by one of my most-admired authors. The madcap momentum, goofy characters, and on-the-nose politics feel like an itch Walter wanted to scratch in-between drafting more resonant work. So Far Gone definitely has made-for-the-screen vibes: I'm anticipating a miniseries on a streaming service near you in the months to come.

A must-read for Walter fans, but you aren't familiar with his work, know there are better things in the backlist.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his latest novel, So Far Gone , #1 New York Times bestselling author Jess Walter delivers a masterful blend of humor, heart, and suspense that proves he hasn't lost his touch for capturing the peculiarities of modern American life. Drawing comparisons to Charles Portis's True Grit in its wild, propulsive energy, this novel marks another triumph for Walter, whose previous works include the acclaimed Beautiful Ruins.

The story follows a reclusive journalist who's forced to emerge from his self-imposed exile when his grandchildren are kidnapped. Our protagonist, Kinnick, is a character who perfectly embodies our contemporary anxieties about technology and connection – he's deliberately stepped away from the modern world, making his forced re-entry all the more compelling. When crisis strikes, he must navigate the very society he's rejected, accompanied by an unlikely crew: his caustic ex-girlfriend, a bipolar retired detective, and his one remaining friend (who happens to be furious with him).

Walter's signature writing style shines throughout the narrative. The author masterfully balances sharp humor with genuine emotional depth. His background as a former journalist is evident in his keen eye for detail and ability to capture the absurdities of contemporary life with precision and wit.

What sets this novel apart is its ability to be simultaneously hilarious and deeply moving. Walter has crafted what Ann Patchett describes as "a warm, funny, loving novel... built out of so many horrible parts." This paradox is at the heart of the book's success – it manages to be both a cutting commentary on modern America and a deeply human story about family, redemption, and the courage it takes to re-engage with a world that seems to have gone mad.

The novel's pacing is relentless, driven by the urgency of the kidnapping plot, but Walter never sacrifices character development for speed. Each member of the makeshift rescue party is fully realized, their interactions crackling with tension and wit. The author's talent for creating complex, flawed characters who feel absolutely real is on full display.

Thematically, So Far Gone explores our complicated relationship with technology, the price of isolation, and the unexpected ways family ties can pull us back into the world. Walter seems to suggest that while modern life might be worth criticizing, it's still worth living – a nuanced take that avoids both knee-jerk pessimism and blind optimism.

The novel's few weaknesses are minor compared to its achievements. Some might find the initial setup requires patience, as Walter takes time to establish Kinnick's hermit-like existence before launching into the main action. However, this investment pays off as the story unfolds.

So Far Gone continues Walter's tradition of defying easy categorization. It's part thriller, part family drama, part social satire, and wholly engaging. The author's ability to move between these modes while maintaining a coherent narrative voice is impressive, creating a reading experience that feels both fresh and familiar.

Verdict: Jess Walter has delivered another American original – a novel that captures our current moment while telling a timeless story about the choices we make in the name of protection and connection. Both longtime fans and newcomers to Walter's work will find much to admire in this smart, affecting, and ultimately life-affirming tale.

3.5/5 stars

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this novel was the closest I've come yet to "doom scrolling", which made it compelling but also triggered some anxiety. And because so much of the thematic content is intended to heighten one's concerns about very serious matters (e.g., environmental degradation, Racism, Sexism, an armed citizenry, Christian Nationalism, a struggling public education system, etc.), referring to these troubles with such a jocular prose style was jarring.

I loved Beautiful Ruins and look forward to reading more of Jess Walter's fine writing, but this one was so-so.

3.5 stars

[None Ofyourbusiness Loves Israel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rhys Kinnick, once a journalist and writer, is now a disillusioned man who basically drops out of life. After the 2016 election, the collapse of his newspaper career, and the unraveling of his marriage to Celia, he abandons the world. On Thanksgiving that year, after a disastrous family dinner where he punches his daughter Bethany’s useless boyfriend, he drives away, throws his phone out the window, and never comes back.

He quits the world and goes to live in a cabin where the books breed like rabbits and the plumbing smells like compost. Then, one day, two kids arrive at his door with backpacks, an “in case of emergency” envelope, and eyes too big for their faces. Their mother has vanished into bad love and bad faith, their father has stomped off in rage, and suddenly grandpa has dependents.

Thanksgiving dinners turn into brawls, creek crossings into philosophy lessons, and chess matches into fairy tales. Leah wants to write her own end-of-the-world saga, Asher accuses his father of murder as if he were ordering pancakes, and Rhys keeps thinking about Celia’s ashes that lie near the river.

Somewhere in Spokane, Lucy Park is still swearing at him while watching her newsroom die, and Chuck Littlefield, once a cop, now stumbles through life like a man who misplaced his dignity in a bar bathroom.

The story sounds like the Book of Job written by people who read tabloids. Everyone keeps losing things: jobs, faith, houses, spouses, children. Everyone keeps grabbing what’s left: old barns to dismantle, chess moves to misplay, uranium mines to curse, larches to point at, words to scribble in notebooks nobody reads.

The writing swings like a faulty ceiling fan: comic sputter followed by sudden gust. “Those trees look like the legs of tall, skinny Dalmatians,” Leah says, while her grandfather silently rehearses the failures of American democracy. Lucy tells Rhys, “I don’t want to fucking see you ever again,” then keeps circling back like a moth with amnesia. Chuck builds his failures like towers of beer cans. The whole book feels like America building bonfires out of its own furniture, and then blaming the neighbors for the smoke.

The text felt like watching a circus set up in a graveyard, and then finding yourself laughing anyway. Jess Walter serves us a metaphor for a country that has traded reason for superstition, truth for clickbait, and family for shouting matches, yet still finds space for tenderness in the ashes.

“We live only as long as someone remembers us,” Rhys muses, which might be a curse or a blessing, depending on who does the remembering. I walked away from the book amused, bruised, and grateful that another uneventful story obsessed with a dysfunctional American family serving as allegory for modern vapid times has ended, phew.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't even long but it sure felt like it was.

My main grievance with this book is how much it maunders. The premise of So Far Gone is super interesting, but the author is constantly prattling on that it takes forever to get through everything. Rhys holds a gun? Let's talk about the time there were Raccoons at his house. Driving up the dirt road? Let's talk about Chuck's first time at a police car. This happens a lot in this novel and it was very annoying and made the book more of a slog to get through.

I also just really did not like the way Bethany viewed her father. This is more of a personal issue with the book, I guess, but I just didn't see where she was coming from mostly. I don't think she was being completely unreasonable, and Rhys was far from a perfect father, but she never saw any fault in her part of their relationship which really annoyed me. Maybe it's because my dad is dead, I don't know, but I felt like she blew things out of proportion. So the latter half of the book became really annoying to me because I just did not like Bethany's character whatsoever. But take that with a grain of salt, this is a me thing, I suppose.

But there were some things I did like about the book. At times, it could be quite funny. Some of the dialogue got a chuckle out of me. I liked Brian and his girlfriend a lot, and I liked Jeff, as inconsequential as his character is. I didn't think the ending would go the way it did, so props to the author for putting some real consequences in there. Even though the whole cult plot-line could have been expanded on a lot more, what was there was interesting.

It was a fine read. It's whatever. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but I'm not angry that I read it, ya know? I just didn't really enjoy it all that much. I don't see myself picking up other books from this author in the future.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is anyone ever too far gone to be saved? In this convincing depiction of divided America and ailing families, Jess Walter holds out hope that the damage of the past can be dealt with and broken relationships might be restored. [My first time reading this author. I know he has written both contemporary and historical novels, with settings ranging from his home state of Washington to Italy (Beautiful Ruins, his best-known work). Just from reading this, I would say that I don’t yet have a strong sense of what makes him distinctive as an author, but I can trust that he creates believable, flawed characters and engaging tragicomic plots. I look forward to trying more of his work soon.]

See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my reading list of Washington State authors.)

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. My first from Jess Walter and what a great story! After Rhys Kinnick punches his maga son-in-law, he’s given the cold shoulder by his daughters family and his now ex-girlfriend, and goes off the grid to a cabin in the woods with no electricity or water. It sits near Spokane, WA. Years later his grandchildren appear on his doorstep after their mom goes missing. He now must return to the outside world to find his daughter, all while keeping his grandchildren safe from their conspiracy theorist father who’s involved in dangerous activities. So Far Gone is short, fast-moving and very entertaining! If you’ve never read a Jess Walter book I recommend you give this one a try! Pub. 6/10/25 🎧

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reclusive environmental journalist goes off the grid in the woods outside Spokane only to return to society after seven years to search for his two grandkids. Rhys Kinnick’s daughter up and disappeared and left her kids in his care, and now he’s forced back into the world he tried so hard to escape.

I thought this story was touching, relevant, and well-paced with wildly imaginative characters. It’s part rescue mission, part road trip, part “how did my life end up like this?” comedy. Rhys teams up with his ex-girlfriend, a retired and very manic detective, and a Native American friend as they chase down a radical Christian-nationalist militia. The whole thing is dark and sharp and very funny. Walter balances absurdity with real suspense so you’re laughing while also anxiously waiting to see what happens next.

Under all the humor there’s a lot going on—regret, shame, abandonment, and the weight of all the choices Rhys tried to outrun. There’s political commentary too, but done in a wry, satirical way, though at times it felt a little more than I needed. And some of the questions those kids ask were absolutely priceless.

Overall, it’s a wild, funny, surprisingly touching ride. I really enjoyed it.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve read any of my reviews here, a good number are better described as “roasts” than “reviews”. There is just so much dross out there that I get tired of wading through disappointing characters, nonsensical storylines and appalling editing. This book, however, not only avoids the pitfalls that seem to have exploded in the publishing industry, it soars past the expectation and keeps author Jess Walter elevated to his previously attained “rock star” status. He remains one of my favorite contemporary writers. This guy should be on every top 10 list each time he drops something new.

So Far Gone follows Rhys Kinnick, an aging divorced father and grandfather, as he struggles to find his place in a world in which he no longer seems to fit. He is estranged from his only daughter, has seen his two grandchildren less than a handful of times, and is living the life of a hermit, off grid in the middle of the PNW, when those grandchildren (each a reflection of different aspects of Kinnick himself) land on his doorstep. In short shrift, Kinnick learns that his ex wife has died, his daughter is missing, and his asshole son-in-law Shane has become entangled with a radicalized church whose parishioners identify themselves as the Army of the Lord (the AOL reference never gets old). In less time than it takes for Rhys to blink, he is pulled back into a world he intentionally left behind.

The characters that rise from these pages are as real as your own family, friends and neighbors, each a distinct personality developed just enough to allow them to propel the plot forward. There are no extraneous details that would have been better on the cutting room floor—each sentence, each word is a piece of the larger puzzle of Rhys Kinnick. Through his relationships we discover not only his shortcomings but also his strengths, not the least of which is his ability to admit to profound mistakes (though his approach could definitely use some work). His journey toward a more refined self-awareness is delivered to us in real time, as it unfolds, with typical Jess Walter humor and a touch of melancholy that makes this rollercoaster ride bittersweet.

If you are new to Walter’s writing, this is a great place to dive in, but don’t stop there. Once you finish So Far Gone, move on to Beautiful Ruins, and whatever else you do this summer, don’t miss the chance to continue your exploration of his work by reading Citizen Vince. You won’t regret a moment of the time you spend between the pages.

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up because I’m working on upping my kindness game.

There were only 9 LARGE chapters over 268 pages. It worked in my favor to read at a good pace. It did not work because I need more variety in my reading and each chapter focused on only one person.

What Happened to Lucy was perhaps worth the whole entry fee. It did a pretty good number on poking fun at 50-60 year old matters of the heart.

This is my first book by Jess Walters. Dude can write. I’d read another.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given Jess Walter's long stint at his hometown Spokane paper, his definitive account of the standoff and shootout at Ruby Ridge from the mid-Nineties, and his steady output of fiction covering crime, outlaws, low-lifes, misfits, detectives, and Hollywood stars, it's no surprise he incorporates all but the last into his newest novel. Set in the hardscrabble terrain in Washington State's northeast redoubts, So Far Gone tracks Rhys Kinnock. Rather predictably, as with most Walter protagonists, he leans far left, matches his creator's journalist profile, and resembles him in age, ecological concerns, and tone.

Rhys, laid off in downsizing times, retreats to his family's ramshackle spread north of the city. His flight hastened by his punching out his Christian-militia, deep-red-state, and post-2016 election at Thanksgiving dinner, ornery son-in-law. After seven years of seclusion, his two grandchildren show up at his doorstep, after their mother's either vanished or died. This sets up the road trip for Rhys, who's clearly "so far gone" he can barely sustain his self-imposed seclusion, let alone care for two kids who've been spirited away by their father to the Rampart secured by the Second Amendment by the jittery Army of the Lord's few locked and loaded recruits deep in the woods. Culture clashes ensue.

Walter's skilled at delineating characters. Young Asher and Leah prove restive; retired cop Littlefield follows a long line of the author's gumshoes grousing their fate as they pursue deadbeats across the decrepit landscapes ravaged by fentanyl, unemployment, pot, paranoia, poverty, sloth, and ticked-off recalcitrants. Lucy Park, a one-time paramour of both Littlefield and Kinnick, holds her own in sass and sarcasm. Brian and Joanie wryly play up and against Native American stereotypes. There's even a byway to an EDM festival across the Canadian border, which encourages a sendup of New Age meets pagan cosplay among the generation ahead of Asher and Leah, and behind Littlefield and Rhys. This detour saps some of the momentum of the pair's quest, but as with Walter's lively "Breaking Bad"-meets-"Weeds" caper from the 2008 recession, The Financial Lives of the Poets, this scenario allows readers to wallow in the bro-speak, the louche poses, and the addled mindset of this century's youth.

However, the shifting between participants as the picaresque narrative saunters along, intermittently interrupted by slugs from fists and arms alike, saps momentum. In his epic set in the pre-WWI labor unrest across the Pacific Northwest, The Cold Millions, Walter managed to segue between complicated personalities and busy action sparked by social breakdown, economic disparity, and political squabble.

But in So Far Gone, Walter's splitting his attention between failed intergenerational dynamics, the fecklessness engendered by frayed ties in a permissive, sexually liberated, determinedly libertarian series of lifestyle choices which have left those growing up dependent on smartphones rather than education, diversion instead of guidance, and media rather than tradition. His loyalties lean left, as those of his favored players in his cast, so the outcomes don't challenge the status quo of his cohort.

He's groping toward deeper verities, as Rhys' withdrawal from the mad rush and mass herd shows us. Yet, Walter's main voice throughout this entertaining adventure falters. The elder Kinnock can't stay apart from the same technology enabling this online mediated forum, its contributors, its content producers, and its readership. Rhys returns to the chaos, having stirred up his share throughout this.

ARC Edelweiss. Standard disclaimer.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a trait like running away from problems run in a family? Learned behavior? It seems so as we meet Rhys Kinnick and his family. Seven years ago, Rhys left his personal problems behind and retreated to an old family cabin in the backwoods, going completely off the grid.

Then one day a strange woman shows up on his doorstep with his two young grandchildren and says their mother, Bethany, has run off and wanted her children brought to her father. What's a hermit to do?

I liked the format of this novel, where each chapter is titled 'What Happened to ___' and we learn more about another of the family members or friends as the story unfolds. This is very much a character-driven novel dealing with relationships, with a surprising amount of drama and violence, but also its share of laugh-out-loud humor, much of it coming from the current social and political issues that divide our country. A great suggestion for your next book club read!