Utah!: A Novel

by Levi Rogers

Fleeing from ever present wildfires and the threat of the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupting, Lee, Becca, and their daughter Analise embark on a road-trip through the state of Utah to a wedding in Zion National Park.

Set in the not-too-distant-future, Utah! is a novel about climate change and the intricacies of relationships - between family, partners, religious structures, nature, and the American West. Featuring a litany of intriguing Utah residents including ex and current Mormons, doomsday preppers, military vets, Presbyterian ministers, and Colombian housewives, these characters eventually find their paths crossing in violence, disaster, and friendship.

Through desert islands, climbing gyms, beer bars, suburbia, mountains, coffee shops, long drives, and mass shootings, Utah! seeks to show the true diversity, beauty, and yes, sometimes peculiar, aspects of one of the most misunderstood states. It’s a novel about the smoldering darkness beneath the surface of our individual selves and society...and what happens when we refuse to acknowledge our past transgressions.

Utah! is a slow burn of a novel that ends with an explosive finish.

Genres: Fiction

Audible Audio

First published April 20, 2021

About the author

Levi Rogers is a Colorado native, writer, and former coffee roaster currently based in the land of the Chinook and Multnomah people. He has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University Los Angeles and a Bachelors of English from the University of Utah. He’s published essays, poetry, fiction, and reviews in Entropy, Sojourners, Lunch Ticket, Drunk Monkeys, Akashic Books, Revolv Magazine, Hoot, A Deeper Story, StandArt, Freshcup, Roast Magazine, and Devour Magazine. His debut novel, Utah! A Novel is forthcoming from Atmosphere Press on April 20th, 2021.

Rogers has attended residencies at the Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop in 2020, the Tin House Summer Workshop in 2018, and the Writer’s Hotel Conference in 2017. He has read at the Utah Arts Festival and served on Antioch University’s literary journal, Lunch Ticket. He owns and runs a coffee roasting company, La Barba Coffee, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived for the last eight years before moving to Portland, Oregon where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Rogers is also at work on as a collection of memoirs and essays about belonging, faith, and depression called All We Can Hope for in This Dark and Beautiful World.

Reviews

[Levi Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote this novel to show people a different side of one of the most misunderstood states-Utah! I grew up in Colorado but lived in Utah for eight years and fell in love with the state. Utah! A Novel is based on my frustration that the state did not get accurately represented through books or media or film. I wrote the novel to show the more nuanced characters and lives of the many different people who inhabit the state rather than play into stereotypes. It was written between 2015 and 2019 when it felt like there were all these simmering tensions underneath U.S. society that were ready to burst (and did in 2020). It's my attempt to explore the intimacies of relationships, parenting, and marriage against the larger backdrop of social issues like individual alienation, climate change and racial, gender, and economic injustice.

It's my first novel and it's not perfect, but I like the imperfections of it, so I give it 3-4 stars.

Thanks for reading!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book because I have Geology background. I have written papers on supervolcanoes and got really excited to see that this book would be a post-apocalyptic, but before, type book. As far as the premise goes, this is a 5-star. But, there were many challenges that I crossed while trying to get through the book.

Right from the start, I was super invested in all of the characters. I loved them all, and loved to hate a few of them. I appreciated almost all of the concepts and tough conversations that the characters had to go through and discuss. There was a real-ness to the characters that I find other authors struggling with.

There were some ironic parts that sort of made me laugh and at the same time be annoyed, and I'm not sure if it was intended to come off that way. Like, Yellowstone will erupt soon, lets go hiking or camping. Some of this just didn't seem like it would actually happen. But, maybe that's part of the denial of human culture. Pretend it isn't happening and move on. Also, relatable to present times.

Now for where I struggled. I really feel like this could have been pulled off better if it was more focused. Any difficult topic you could think of was probably touched in this novel. It was almost an ode to call out all the bad things in the world. I think focusing that down to one or two topics would have made me connect more with the issues. Or...go big or go home. Dare I say, add another 1000 pages to truly touch on and expand upon the ideas. I really feel that this could have been a series of sorts. Each book captures a different struggle.

Overall, I recommend this book for the concept and the call-out of society. There is a lot of thought provoking concepts that will make you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for allowing me to receive an eARC of this book for review.

[Cass (only the darkest reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a book at a time where you aren't ready for the subject matter. While I'm personally still coming to grips with the trauma of our current circumstances, I find books referencing it to be difficult. While this takes place in a time post pandemic, it also flows through the narrative like a shockwave.

This is a story of a family trying to survive frequent ecological catastrophes, while also coming to terms with their lapsed religious beliefs. Interwoven deftly, we see how each characters personal collapse is in combat with the environment that is actually suffocating them.

It's about how family overcomes hardships, and how differences don't need to be division.

Really lovely storytelling all around, but maybe for a day outside of this hellscape.
3.5 Rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for an ARC of this title.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel set in a near future of basically apocalyptic fire seasons as the actual fire season started in Utah this year, and I found this exploration of the modern American west grim but also compelling. The characters are fantastic, and the sense of place is sharp, both in a hyperlocal sense (lots of real locations in Salt Lake City and elsewhere) and in a broader sense (modern life in the American West). This book is concerned with doom and apocalypse, whether that means gun violence or relational isolation or the literal end of the world.

[Readers Choice · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: Utah! A Novel
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Levi Rogers

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
Levi Rogers' Utah is a novel about climate change and the complexities of relationships. Lee and Becca started dating each other in high school. When later in life, they met again and started hanging out, Becca got pregnant. Later, they married even though their families weren't very happy with this decision of theirs. This book takes the readers on the road trip through the state of Utah.

Before reading this book, I wasn't aware about the wildfires, volcanoes across Utah. The state of Utah is not properly represented in movies, novels. Therefore, Levi has come up with this one. As we read, we get to meet many characters that live in Utah. This book gave me a wake up call about various issues. Marriage and parenthood isn't that easy. It comes with responsibilities. Lee wanted the Yellowstone Supervolcano to explode because it may be good in the long run according to him.

I liked the way the story ended. Characters and the issues in their lives felt realistic. The storyline is gripping and I couldn't keep this book down until I finished it. Wildfire-Evacuation-Staycation gave Lee and Becca some time to spend outdoors. We get so busy in our monotonous life that we often forget to give time to our partners. This book is thought provoking. I enjoyed reading it and would like to recommend it to others.

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5

[bookhaven__ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utah! A Novel
By
Levi Rogers

My Review:
Levi Rogers is the debut author of the book Utah. Those who have been in/around Salt Lake City could relate well to this story. The story features a family who has left their rental duplex behind in Logan, Utah and is on a road trip across Utah. The entire West was on fire. Lee and Becca are a couple who is under the burden of parenthood as a parent of a newborn daughter Analise. Becca is sad because of the responsibilities, pain and the way her body changed after pregnancy. The family had packed the necessary stuff for a trip ahead.

When Lee was growing up, he was excited to be married and be a father. But now with so much going on, he understood why some men leave their wife, kids and start a new life in other parts of the country. Marriage changes a person a lot. Earlier Lee would get dark and depressing but now Lee is the Optimistic one and Becca has become the Depressed one. Becca sometimes wonders what her life would have been if she didn't have this unexpected pregnancy.

Readers would get to meet so many characters in this story. Language used in this book is simple and easy to follow. Narration is smooth and strong. The title of the book is short and suitable according to the contents of the story. This is a unique book for me. I haven't read any story earlier that was set in Utah. I am impressed with Levi's work and looking forward to reading more of his work in the future.

My Rating: 5/5

[Natasha P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the complexity of the characters, especially the way that even the villains were portrayed with compassion and empathy. The author does a great job of humanizing them and reflecting the uncomfortable reality that people are not just “all bad” or “all good”.

I also really related to the sense of living in the shadow of some kind of crisis, but carrying on with everyday life even when it seems irrational. I take the point of one of the other reviewers that this can seem like an unrealistic way for humans to behave. However, as someone living in South Florida, where a coastal real estate boom is happening at the same time as we are trying to navigate the repercussions of a rising sea and associated environmental issues, it completely tracks with my experience. Even people who ostensibly “believe” that it is happening are in a way living in denial by making a life here. Also, loved the ending.

Overall, great read and highly recommend.

[Colin Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written using multiple narratives and postmodern themes reminiscent of Coupland's 'Life After God' or Colum McCann's 'Let the Great World Spin', 'Utah!' follows a family as they navigate their way towards impending catastrophes and each other.

For a debut novel Roger's work was really quite impressive. He touched on themes of family, faith and culture that...as one who came into fatherhood a little late...resonate with me on personal levels.

He also captured the general feel of the last year. Of note...even though a potential supervolcano threatens most of the country it's handled with a curiosity by the characters that rang true to me. It's there, but it doesn't stop life from going going on.

Without running the risk of spoilers I highly recommend the book. It sneaks up on you...it's definitely a slow burn...in the best of ways. It got under my skin and and served as a reminder to enjoy time with my own family no matter what else is going on around me.

[_sassy_39 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utah is the debut novel of the author Levi Rogers. This book will introduce readers to the most misunderstood state Utah. Lee, Becca and Analise are a small family that lives in Logan, Utah. There's a level-two evacuation meaning be packed and ready to go at the moment's notice. There is a danger of wildfire. Becca is too tired from the marriage and especially motherhood responsibilities that she thought a destruction of the planet is better than marriage or motherhood. They moved towards Salt Lake City and on the way they remembered about the past events from their life: the unexpected pregnancy, death of Becca's father, etc.

This book gave me much information about the state of Utah. It also made me realise that being a parent is not that easy. Pace of the story is slow at times. Writing style of the author is nice. Cover photo could have been more creative. Language used in the book is lucid and I was easily able to follow the story. It's a book worth reading. Go ahead with it.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in Utah for some years, and experiencing its unique religious culture and landscape, I found the backdrop of this story to be extremely familiar. It was fun to be reminded of so many of my own experiences in/around Salt Lake. The characters felt incredibly relatable, grappling with so many of the topics and issues I grapple with, day to day, and yet didn’t feel belabored or mundane. Overall, I found it to be a quick, fun, and engaging read!

[Nancy Mcclenathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel packs a lot of punch about a lot of issues. I have visited Utah and Salt Lake City several times and the author’s descriptions brought back a lot of memories about this unique state. Everything from wildfires to religion was brought up by the characters in this novel. Using the potential of a super volcano under Yellowstone and an upcoming wedding, multiple characters gradually are led to a climactic ending.

Than you to Goodreads giveaway for this digital copy.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being about to embark on a trip through Utah's parks, I wanted to read something based in UT. The author seems pretty even-handed in describing the various characters, their hopes, motivation, etc., Better proofreading would have been good, though it doesn't detract from the plot. It will be interesting to see what the author follows up with.

[Aanya Sachdeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit this book was quite interesting, with so many different POVs
And very informative too, I learned a lot about Utah, and both the religions, reading about the trip was quite fun!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Utah symbols and places worked onto a pointless story about people largely ignoring a looming natural disaster.