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The Walk Book
The young man is twenty-three years old. The year is 2014. He has no smartphone, zero hours of screen time. He has $1,000. All of 2013 he spent indoors, nocturnal, ill. Rotting under the weight of his institutional pampering, his full ride. Reading all of Bolaño, writing a “yearlong undergraduate thesis” on Bolaño. Not living according to Bolaño’s precepts: What’s outside the window? ... Literature + travel = illness ... It is a sad truth our travels teach! Not learning any of these sad truths. Only ill. Unaware of what’s outside the window—it’s dark out at night, and his fenestral view is shrouded by his chain smoke.
He’s not hanging his thesis out on a clothesline, like mad Amalfitano, to let it get battered by the elements.
Not till his thesis gets rejected. Till his full ride ends.
Not till then does he set out walking. In flip flops. Following a paper map till it gets dark each day. Sleeping out wherever he ends up.
A hundred day-cantos to get back in touch with THE STARS. A travel story that strives, “in plain speech, with words that are straightforward, honest, and well placed…” to poke deadly holes into our universal romanticization of travel stories.
Laying bare the most obvious yet overlooked ingredient of Literature: In order to WRITE something worth READING, you must have the COURAGE to DO something, WALK somewhere, worth writing ABOUT.
Even if, as it inevitably will be, as all things end up being, a colossal and crushing failure.
Only to discover the saddest truth: That the most courageous confrontations involve no walking at all—but rather facing, head on, the world, the relationships, and the responsibilities that were directly around you all along.
He’s not hanging his thesis out on a clothesline, like mad Amalfitano, to let it get battered by the elements.
Not till his thesis gets rejected. Till his full ride ends.
Not till then does he set out walking. In flip flops. Following a paper map till it gets dark each day. Sleeping out wherever he ends up.
A hundred day-cantos to get back in touch with THE STARS. A travel story that strives, “in plain speech, with words that are straightforward, honest, and well placed…” to poke deadly holes into our universal romanticization of travel stories.
Laying bare the most obvious yet overlooked ingredient of Literature: In order to WRITE something worth READING, you must have the COURAGE to DO something, WALK somewhere, worth writing ABOUT.
Even if, as it inevitably will be, as all things end up being, a colossal and crushing failure.
Only to discover the saddest truth: That the most courageous confrontations involve no walking at all—but rather facing, head on, the world, the relationships, and the responsibilities that were directly around you all along.
234 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 22, 2026
Can’t imagine anything worse than walking across this country on its highways
August 7, 2026
it's fine... he walks. not as charming or funny as fuccboi but i smiled a few times. i like the picture of him on the back cover though
July 28, 2026
I've never quite read anything like this and I can't find much background on the internet anywhere. I found this author through a NYC bookseller (Peter's books, great page btw) that interviews new authors. I am unsure if this is fiction or non-fiction or semi autobiographical? Regardless, this is an enjoyable, quick read about self exploration in your 20s (which I am attempting). Unfortunately, I don't think I have it in me to even attempt to walk across the US.
This book centers largely around the hero's journey trope and the incredibly human desire to view yourself as the central character on a noble quest. Is that vain? Noble? "LARP-y"? Who knows! I did really enjoy reading this book though.
This book centers largely around the hero's journey trope and the incredibly human desire to view yourself as the central character on a noble quest. Is that vain? Noble? "LARP-y"? Who knows! I did really enjoy reading this book though.
August 23, 2026
Sean walked across America. But why? Throughout The Walk Book, there is sparse moralizing or self-reflection, yet there is always a palpable sense that this is all going to be documented some day, qualities shared by Marie Calloway in What Purpose Do I Serve In Your Life, which was released on Tyrant Books, the same imprint as Conroe’s debut Fuccboi. Why walk across America…so you can tell people you did, obviously. It combines “walk” (free physical activity) with “across” (completing a journey) and “America” (the infinite tapestry, three hundred thirty million stories inside). The theory may be that by walking across America, it might give one a greater sense of perspective on the stories contained therein…perspectives that you could MONETIZE!!! or turn into LITERARY PRESTIGE!!!! All very Millennial Dreams.
This book is being released as “pay-what-you-want” (my first edition was hand-stamped #407) by Little Engines, a publishing house out of Eau Claire run by Bonny Bear himself, Justin Vernon. I was excited to read it after very much enjoying Conroe’s novel Fuccboi. The voice in it which others found grating and annoying, I found bold, and full of sprezzatura. I don’t like this book as much as Fuccboi. What others might call “growing up” I read as “watering down your flow” when Conroe’s comparably bare prose first met my gaze when excerpts of this were published in The Paris Review. Felt like now that he got his foot in the door of the literary establishment he wanted to show them he could hang with the big boys by writing in “MFA style” rather than “Sean style” or “Fuccboi style.” Conroe has bristled at accusations of autofiction against Fuccboi’s unnamed narrator, yet according to his podcast, people keep asking him if he’s the main character, so you be the judge.
I personally prefer Conroe when he is writing as impolitely as possible. That very style-first vibe works for him. This sort of feels like a transition work for him, like a bridge between Fuccboi and more serious work. Having personally visited 46 states, I enjoyed the vague On The Road-Isms of the text. Conroe is fun to hang out with, sensitive thug/art goon type. I liked the situations he’d encounter, the people he’d meet. I just wish he would have grappled more honestly throughout the text for the real reason he walked across America. Sean, you are a man who feels you need to make your mark on the world, and be taken seriously while doing it. Nothing at all wrong with that, Jonas Salk probably thought that when he cured polio. So let’s talk about it instead of dancing around it for 200 pages! Let’s make meaning and make sense of our experiences here instead of gesturing at directions you want the reader to inquire further. The subtle character development is great…could you make it more obvious, please?
On a side note, I got into a lovely conversation with a person at a cafe in my neighborhood when they saw me reading this book and told me they grabbed a copy themselves from a farmer’s market where Little Engines were distributing the books. Seems like there’s some cool stuff happening in Eau Claire.
This book is being released as “pay-what-you-want” (my first edition was hand-stamped #407) by Little Engines, a publishing house out of Eau Claire run by Bonny Bear himself, Justin Vernon. I was excited to read it after very much enjoying Conroe’s novel Fuccboi. The voice in it which others found grating and annoying, I found bold, and full of sprezzatura. I don’t like this book as much as Fuccboi. What others might call “growing up” I read as “watering down your flow” when Conroe’s comparably bare prose first met my gaze when excerpts of this were published in The Paris Review. Felt like now that he got his foot in the door of the literary establishment he wanted to show them he could hang with the big boys by writing in “MFA style” rather than “Sean style” or “Fuccboi style.” Conroe has bristled at accusations of autofiction against Fuccboi’s unnamed narrator, yet according to his podcast, people keep asking him if he’s the main character, so you be the judge.
I personally prefer Conroe when he is writing as impolitely as possible. That very style-first vibe works for him. This sort of feels like a transition work for him, like a bridge between Fuccboi and more serious work. Having personally visited 46 states, I enjoyed the vague On The Road-Isms of the text. Conroe is fun to hang out with, sensitive thug/art goon type. I liked the situations he’d encounter, the people he’d meet. I just wish he would have grappled more honestly throughout the text for the real reason he walked across America. Sean, you are a man who feels you need to make your mark on the world, and be taken seriously while doing it. Nothing at all wrong with that, Jonas Salk probably thought that when he cured polio. So let’s talk about it instead of dancing around it for 200 pages! Let’s make meaning and make sense of our experiences here instead of gesturing at directions you want the reader to inquire further. The subtle character development is great…could you make it more obvious, please?
On a side note, I got into a lovely conversation with a person at a cafe in my neighborhood when they saw me reading this book and told me they grabbed a copy themselves from a farmer’s market where Little Engines were distributing the books. Seems like there’s some cool stuff happening in Eau Claire.
August 16, 2026
I haven’t read Fuccboi yet. It didn’t appeal to me. The whole thing seemed a bit kitschy and I was unsure I wanted to entertain his work
Then at some point I saw this book was being given on a pay what you want basis through the publisher and decided to donate $5 and give it a try
I went in kind of hoping to hate it. Hoping to feel above it, to be able to deride the modern man and the failings of someone who maybe is writing the way I’d like to write. There’s certainly an analogue to be made about my feelings here and Sean’s feelings about the noble/vain continuum of the walk…
For 235 pages, he consistently won me over. The writing is propulsive and rhythmic and his voice is strong. I can see the influences but it feels fresh and modern and unique. The observations tender, the renderings of characters warmhearted and insightful, and the description of location was wonderful.
Early in the book, there’s a few times he devolved into what I’ll call Bruh speech that I still find annoying
It’s particularly frustrating because i think he actually has such a strong knack for modern dialogue but sometimes the internal stuff can get a bit painful
Overall, I was floored by this. Really wonderful.
4.7/5- fuccboi here I come…
Then at some point I saw this book was being given on a pay what you want basis through the publisher and decided to donate $5 and give it a try
I went in kind of hoping to hate it. Hoping to feel above it, to be able to deride the modern man and the failings of someone who maybe is writing the way I’d like to write. There’s certainly an analogue to be made about my feelings here and Sean’s feelings about the noble/vain continuum of the walk…
For 235 pages, he consistently won me over. The writing is propulsive and rhythmic and his voice is strong. I can see the influences but it feels fresh and modern and unique. The observations tender, the renderings of characters warmhearted and insightful, and the description of location was wonderful.
Early in the book, there’s a few times he devolved into what I’ll call Bruh speech that I still find annoying
It’s particularly frustrating because i think he actually has such a strong knack for modern dialogue but sometimes the internal stuff can get a bit painful
Overall, I was floored by this. Really wonderful.
4.7/5- fuccboi here I come…
August 13, 2026
I liked this a lot. Viewed it largely as a prequel to Fuccboi which is another novel I love. Could see Sean setting up some of the themes he wrote about in that book. It was cool to see how the two books talk to each other in this way. The interjections of the section beginnings including additional context was something I’ve come to enjoy in his essays; a kind of disruption to the narrative in which the narrator feels like they draw near and tell you a secret, almost like they’re really there telling you the story. And there’s a moment toward the end when a moment from many years in the future, a recent moment, appears. I loved the surprise of that. Read most of this in DC and I waved at the book when the narrator walked by the Potomac.
August 12, 2026
A book about walking, writing, not knowing where you’re going, and eventually finding your way back to reading. Got emotional at the end of the Sylvia chapter. Hope Joe and Kathy are doing well. Maybe the destination was always the people you met along the way.
August 5, 2026
Words cannot explain how much I love this book.
August 7, 2026
Travels w Charley written by a Faulkner head. Sylvia KS chapter is so awesome. Loved it and it was literally free
August 11, 2026
couldn’t wait to read since it’s mention in fuccboi, I like how it turned out, when’s the audiobook coming out plz
August 20, 2026
I dig his mode
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews