Oliver's Travels

by Clifford Garstang

Ollie Tucker, a recent college graduate and student of philosophy, is obsessed with truth and the source of knowledge, questioning the validity of everything he hears from his parents, his girlfriend, and even the voices inside his head. In pursuit of the truth and life’s deeper meaning, he invents an alter ego, Oliver, who lives the adventurous and exotic existence Ollie cannot. But Ollie has another problem—a repressed memory of his uncle Scotty that threatens to derail his life, his relationships, and his sexuality. But the memory is a blur. And what he thinks he remembers, he knows is unreliable. The uncertainty is paralyzing. What is the truth? What has his subconscious fabricated? When he learns that his uncle, long-presumed dead, is in fact alive and well, Ollie realizes that to move on with his life and find peace, he must confront his uncle.

In Oliver’s Travels, Clifford Garstang deftly explores the fragility of memory. Ollie, an aspiring writer, must navigate the mundane while, at the same time, imagining a life of fulfillment for his alter ego, Oliver. Garstang displays his gift for contemplation and characterization as Ollie moves undauntedly in search of answers to life’s questions and discovers, in this journey marked with wanderlust, how the past and the present will forever share porous boundaries.

Jon Pineda, author of Let’s No One Get Hurt

One man’s search for the truth about himself — a tour of his own head that winds up taking him on a tour of the world. A witty, humane meditation on the slippery slope of childhood memory.

Jonathan Dee, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, author of The Locals and The Privileges

This is a novel with an edge and a heart, constantly riveting and always smart, not to mention funny! Its humor, in part, derives from the keen intelligence and the pitch-perfect nature of the sterling prose. A must read.
Fred Leebron, author of Six Figures and Welcome to Christiania

A twisty metafictional and metaphysical tour of the world – and the author's mind – that examines not only how humans make stories, but how they make us. Fascinating and endlessly surprising.
Liam Callanan, author of Paris by the Book and Listen & Other Stories

Book Review from Book Excellence

Oliver's Travels is a poignant story about the very nature of reality, who we are as human beings—and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.

Ollie Tucker is fresh out of college and on a quest to discover life’s deeper meaning. Haunted by an unclear memory from his past, Ollie sets out on a path of self-discovery. In the midst of writing a novel, where he portrays himself as a more charming, adventurous version of himself, Ollie convinces his wife to travel the world in search of his presumed-dead Uncle and confront the person he is most afraid of, so that he can finally move on with his life and find peace.

Garstang’s writing is sharp, witty and skilfully captures the intricacies of relationships, as he depicts Ollie’s experience in his marriage, with his family and the ever-elusive Uncle Scotty. Effortlessly, the stage is set and the reader becomes emotionally invested in an entire ensemble of familiar characters. What truly makes this book a standout work of fiction is Ollie. Garstang portrays Ollie as a multifaceted character who has a deeply introspective and philosophical approach to life, who like most of us, is trying to figure out who he is and who he wants to become.

Overall, Oliver’s Travels is a compelling page turner that grips readers with its stunning insight into relationships and the impact they have on one’s life. Highly recommended! – Review by Book Excellence

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Philosophy

300 pages, Paperback

Published May 18, 2021

About the author

Clifford Garstang is the author of three novels: THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE (forthcoming, 2024), OLIVER’S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY. He is also the author of three story collections: WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW (winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction), IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, and HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES. He is the co-founder and former editor of PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE and the editor of the three-volume anthology series, EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET. A former international lawyer with a prominent US law firm and the World Bank, Garstang earned a BA from Northwestern University, an MA (English) and a JD from Indiana University, an MPA (International Development) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and an MFA (Creative Writing) from Queens University of Charlotte.

Reviews

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today is the official publication day for this book. I'm the author, so I'm not going to review it, but here are what some other folks had to say:

In Oliver’s Travels, Clifford Garstang deftly explores the fragility of memory. Ollie, an aspiring writer, must navigate the mundane while, at the same time, imagining a life of fulfillment for his alter ego, Oliver. Garstang displays his gift for contemplation and characterization as Ollie moves undauntedly in search of answers to life’s questions and discovers, in this journey marked with wanderlust, how the past and the present will forever share porous boundaries.

Jon Pineda, author of Let’s No One Get Hurt

One man’s search for the truth about himself — a tour of his own head that winds up taking him on a tour of the world. A witty, humane meditation on the slippery slope of childhood memory.

Jonathan Dee, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, author of The Locals and The Privileges

This is a novel with an edge and a heart, constantly riveting and always smart, not to mention funny! Its humor, in part, derives from the keen intelligence and the pitch-perfect nature of the sterling prose. A must read.
Fred Leebron, author of Six Figures and Welcome to Christiania

A twisty metafictional and metaphysical tour of the world – and the author's mind – that examines not only how humans make stories, but how they make us. Fascinating and endlessly surprising.
Liam Callanan, author of Paris by the Book and Listen & Other Stories

[Gerry Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Oliver's Travels. the main character, Ollie is adrift, unsure of who he is and what he wants to do with his life. As Ollie seeks to escape his dysfunctional family and solve the mystery of a dark memory he can't shake, he takes up writing about Oliver, a dashing, self-assured world traveler—everything Ollie is not until he sets out to find his long-lost uncle and, in the process, to find himself.

This funny, moving novel has much to say about the power of story and memory and how they intertwine and shape us. It's a great read that will also leave you pondering some important lessons about life and truth.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OLIVER’S TRAVELS is a unique and fascinating novel which was impossible to put down. It is exquisitely written, often with a wry sense of humor until unexpectedly, the young man protagonist explodes in grief and regret. When he does not hide, the passion which comes from Ollie is amazing.

The story asks a question that is ordinary and yet so seldom really asked and really answered. Who are we? The decent pleasing person we present? The imperfect, sometimes enraged, confused being within? The person we wish we were? And how can Ollie keep himself and everyone he knows decently together if he loses who he has always presented himself to be?

Outside, Ollie is a twenty-something simple guy from the Midwest, low-keyed and affable. He is a good son in a difficult family, trying to heal his wretched older brother Q (a veteran), trying to please his girlfriend who just wants an ordinary marriage. But that is not all there is to him. His inner world is vivid and unsettled. In half if it, he lives in a novel he is writing where he has cast himself as Oliver, a more dashing, daring version of himself who travels the world with exotic women and can solve any problem. In the other half, he is searching to find his vanished uncle Scotty who he believes abused him when he was small. Scotty has been declared dead by his family and has disappeared from the face of the earth.

No one can guess the turmoil beneath Ollie’s surface except his philosophy teacher Dr. Russell and a half-drunken, bitter, eccentric author (so real I feel I’ve met three of him in bars) who reads for audiences of four people and who encourages Ollie to write. Somehow Ollie persuades his bewildered new wife Mary to travel to Singapore to teach, the real hidden reason being to track down the long missing Scotty. Country after country, the wild search continues, and the nonconfrontational Ollie begins to turn into a mild version of his fictional hero, Oliver. By this time, he has had to return home to America to try unsuccessfully to shore up his and his wife’s disintegrating families and their own marriage.

Does Ollie find his uncle Scotty? Does he discover the truth about what he has been seeking and thus find himself? I could never have expected the ending. Really a wonderful book and writer!

[M B McLatchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the title points to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the journey that the book chronicles is something much more endearing and less self-congratulating than Swift could have imagined. Garstang's Oliver's Travels calls up Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Homer's fatherless son, Telemachus, in The Odyssey. Brooders both, the main characters in these epics, both are advised to go out and write their stories: engage in the symphony called "life", say "yes" to the unknown adventure -- and in the course of events, discover who you are. Garstang has given us a contemporary odyssey where the goals are the same: self-knowledge and a discovery of what is true and what is not true. Because of his apparent schooling in the philosophy of the ancients, Garstang reproduces the same humility in his main character that Socrates displayed in a trial that sentenced him to death. Lofty questions are asked in this book, and yet what keeps the reader turning the page is a closeness to the character asking the questions. A cult film, "Dinner with Andre" came to me on more than a few occasions. As simple as Wally is in the film, and as sophisticated as Andre is, what keeps us, the audience, listening in on their philosophical dinner discussion (which is the entire film) is a love and compassion that both of the characters embrace. So too with Garstang's main character. You will attach to him -- and then to the beautiful questions that this book unveils. Loved it.

[Marjorie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For a long time I've harbored a fantasy . . . of being a writer." Post college, our hero Ollie flounders, wishing he could write a novel, so one day he creates an alternate universe character in his journal, based on his fantasy life. His "Oliver" travels foreign lands, wins fair ladies, and has the panache of an action hero or a Mission Impossible secret agent, while in real life he teaches in a community college, dates a lovely young woman who has no interest in travel, questions his sexuality, and tries to understand his brother's post-Iraq depression.

And Ollie has a ghost haunting him: the disappearance of his charismatic dead uncle Scotty flashes in memory as if there were something essential he must learn from it. Or is he dead? The answer to why his father hates him seems entwined in his uncle's story. Ollie goes on an international real-life journey, following the trail of his uncle. On a regular basis, Ollie sits in coffeehouses and revisits his college philosophy professor's teachings about reality: "Belief is not knowledge; truth lies somewhere beyond belief."

Both brilliant and entertaining in its philosophical underpinnings, Garstang's story is a Rubik's Cube of two intertwining novels -- the one being written and the one we are reading -- whose colors twist and spin, finally lining up in a surprising solution. Highly recommended!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ollie is in that limbo space between graduating from college and being launched in life. He moves in with his mother in a small town, teaching as an adjunct and dating a woman he is ambivalent about, while being haunted by the existential questions posed by his philosophy professor-mentor about the nature of reality and what makes us who we are. Ollie also wants to be a writer, so he creates an alter ego named Oliver, who goes on exotic adventures that are a heightened version of Ollie's own life. Ollie is an ordinary twenty-something struggling to figure out the messiness of growing up in a dysfunctional family and finding love, but he is also a hero on a quest. His need to find his long-lost uncle (whom Ollie believes will provide the answers Ollie needs to understand himself) drives Ollie to secrecy and lies and travel to Singapore, Tokyo, and beyond.

What's remarkable about this novel is how nimbly the author weaves the many threads--the quest, the philosophical questions, the discussion of writing craft, the coming-of-age story, and the travel narrative. This is an ambitious novel, which defies easy summarizing. It begins slow, but then builds and builds. It takes you on a trip, which feels simple and straightforward at first, but which expands into something that will blow your mind.

[Martha F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gift a character with a resilient sense of humor and we readers are more likely to follow him through whatever angst and blunders he endures on the rocky road to self-discovery. That's what Clifford Garstang does masterfully for Ollie Tucker in Oliver's Travels. This briskly-paced comic novel tracks a young philosophy graduate as he earnestly grapples with multiple challenges -- from serious family dysfunction, starter teaching jobs, and literary ambitions to a troubling attraction to the brother of his convenient but conventional girlfriend. All these and more propel Ollie to create a fictional alter-ego and to travel abroad in search of a "lost" uncle and hidden family truths. You'll be happy you tagged along.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading "Oliver's Travels". The author excels, I think, in plot and character development. And his new book did not disappoint this reader!

I found the lead-up to and the conclusion itself to be very exciting. Although Ollie lived a cluttered and confusing life in many respects, he's the kinda guy I'd like to share a couple of beers with at a neat bar in Singapore, Tokyo, Paris or some secluded village in Mexico!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters made this story for me. I’ve read two of Garstang’s books — Zhang Boys, and The Shaman of Turtle Valley, both of which pulled me into the story being told because I enjoyed the characters.He creates characters as real as they come. They could be your neighbors or your friends. Ollie could be your son.

Ollie’s quest to find out what happened in his childhood drives him across the world, into situations he can barely manage, and provides humor and sorrow.

It’s great!

[Julie Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers: Even though Oliver's Travels sounds like Gulliver's Travels, Clifford Garstang’s novel is not a fantasy satire of a man traveling to different weird lands that mock various aspects of 18th century life. Instead it is a cerebral introspective novel about a man trying to discover the answers to his past through philosophy, writing, and traveling.

Ollie Tucker just graduated from college with a Philosophy. He leaves his troubled father and siblings behind to move in with his estranged alcoholic mother and teach at a community college. Ollie becomes obsessed with learning about his missing Uncle Scotty especially when he has disturbing flashbacks concerning their relationship.

Oliver's Travels takes a thoughtful look at its lead character. His family is toxic with an emotionally distant father, an alcoholic mother, a Fundamentalist sister, and a brother who has PTSD since his return from Afghanistan. He looks inward for support and validation that his family weren't able to give him. Ollie enters into a romantic relationship with Mary, another teacher, a relationship that is fraught with frequent arguments, miscommunications, and Ollie's uncertainty about whether he loves Mary or her brother, Mike.

It's obvious that Garstang made him a Philosophy major to show him as the type of character who would examine his life and choices. His present situation often segues into past conversations with his academic advisor, Professor Russell where they talk about things like guilt, free will, memories, and identity. These conversations focus on what troubles Ollie and propels him to do the things that he does. They also have dark edges in the later chapters when Oliver and Russell’s student-mentor relationship becomes more intimate and disturbing. It makes one wonder how many of their Q&A sessions were genuine and how many were used for seduction.

Besides Philosophy, Ollie examines his life through writing and travel. He writes a novel about a man named Oliver who travels to exotic locations, lives as a free spirit, and has a troubled romance. There ends up being a lot of parallels between fiction and real life but it is also clear that Ollie's novel is a sense of wish fulfillment. Oliver is the person that Ollie wants to be: bold, assertive, and daring. He goes on similar journeys but the fictional Oliver isn't as bound by these concerns as his author is.

Ollie asks questions that are never answered. Oliver gets those answers. Ollie waffles about whether he can afford to go to another country and worries about cost and his relationships. Oliver just goes without repercussions. Ollie has a troubled on and off again relationship with Mary. While Oliver has arguments with his partner, they are able to work through them. Oliver is what Ollie wants to be: Someone with many of the same problems but is able to face them and shape himself into a better person.

Besides writing, Ollie uses travel as a means of finding answers. He and Mary travel from Singapore, to Tokyo, to Paris, to Mexico City to work or vacation. Each leg of their journey brings new struggles and disappointments. Ollie and Mary might go to different places but they are the same people every time. They are filled with the same insecurities, worries, conflicts, and ties to their dysfunctional families. A new city where they have to teach a different class of students, see sights, and learn a new language does not change who they are. In fact the relocation only adds more stress to their fracturing relationship. The relocation and the real unspoken motives for the traveling. Ollie is chasing leads to where Scotty might have lived.

Ollie asks his parents and siblings about his Uncle Scotty because the family won't talk about him. They give him evasive answers and contradictory statements which only fuels his curiosity even more. He wants to know about him to see if his disturbing memories were real or fabricated. He believes that if he finds and interacts with Scotty, then Ollie can finally get some answers about why he is stuck in this place of insecurity and frequent conflicts.

When Ollie learns the truth about why Scotty left, he realizes that everything that he thought about him and the rest of their family was wrong. At first, Ollie envies his uncle's nomadic life but the more he pieces together Scotty’s real story, he realizes that his romantic image was errant. Scotty wasn't living a carefree life or running away from a past crime, he traveled because he felt compelled to. He went to different countries to get away from his own traumatic memories and because he couldn’t find a place that felt like home. In his drive to learn about his Uncle through philosophy, writing, and travel, Ollie realizes that he is more like him than he originally thought and is destined to end up in the same place.

[Steve Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of Ollie, the narrator of Clifford Garstang’s new novel Oliver’s Travels, is all about questions: What do I want? What should I do? What happened to me? Who am I? And why? Ollie’s life as a recent college graduate feels pretty aimless until he comes to believe he can find the answers to all of his questions if he can find his long-lost uncle. This quest ultimately gives him some direction, though not a clear sense of purpose because the search seems nearly impossible and along the way he remains guarded with those closest to him, alienated from family members (all for good reasons), and generally confused. Over the course of the novel he makes mistakes as a novice writer, teacher, and husband, but most times his miscalculations are understandable and they always help reveal him as a unique character.

As I said, Ollie has specific questions about his life, but it seems they all boil down to the one perhaps most famously described in the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.” Though Frost’s poem is often misread as celebrating nonconformity, it’s really about the regret one feels at not having the chance to take every fork in every road along the way, about not knowing what might have been. This is what Ollie really wonders about, could he or should he have become someone else, and the universality of this type of questioning helps make him a relatable character. Still, he’s got his own particular problems and because he’s young, his life is full of mistakes, some in the recent past, others appearing as his story unfolds, which makes him even more engaging.

As a reader, it was hard not to join him in his speculations--about the meaning of life and the meanings of his life—relationships, choices, memories, and plans. The fact that Ollie is writing a book, about the travels of a character named Oliver, brings into play questions about the nature of fiction and its relations to reality. This becomes even more interesting when sometimes Ollie’s life shapes the fiction while other times the opposite seems to be true.

As the title (sort of) implies, Ollie travels a great deal on his quest to find answers to his questions about himself and the exotic locales (Singapore, Paris, Mexico City) are captured with authentic details. Ollie is surrounded by a cast of interestingly flawed characters (his family, romantic interests, and mentors) and these relationships help explain some of his problems, though for others he gets full credit. Though he tries, he is ultimately unable to connect with any of these other characters in a completely satisfactory way, which keeps his nature restless and his story always moving forward.

The short chapters are perfectly constructed and arranged, jumping back and forth through the episodes of Ollie’s life in a way that simultaneously builds tension, explains why the characters are who they are, and makes it hard to stop reading. Ollie’s old philosophy professor plays a major role in the flashbacks, guiding Ollie to embrace, or perhaps even form, his skeptical, seeking self. One of my favorite characters was the sardonic, somewhat-famous writer Bruce Owens, who dispenses invaluable advice to Ollie about writing and life.

This was one of those books where I slowed down my reading towards the end because I didn’t want it to end. And in the end, it was a real pleasure getting immersed in Ollie’s adventures and misadventures in this superbly crafted novel.

[Kristy Kloster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver's Travels by Clifford Garstang is a novel that captures the fragility of memory and the search for truth. I found myself enchanted by the protagonist, Ollie Tucker, a young philosophy graduate grappling with the heavy questions of knowledge, perception, and self-identity. The author masterfully wrote about Ollie’s internal and external struggles, creating a story that is intimate and expansive.

The heart of this book lies in Ollie’s relationship with his own mind and memories. Clifford Garstang paints an achingly real picture of a young man disillusioned with the world around him. Ollie’s creation of his alter ego, Oliver, is fascinating. It serves as a coping mechanism and a mirror reflecting the life Ollie wishes he could lead. The dynamic in between is handled with such nuance that you feel Ollie’s psyche.

The theme of memory—how it shapes us and how it can betray us—is explored with remarkable depth. Ollie’s hazy recollection of his Uncle Scotty, a mysterious figure from his childhood, adds an almost thriller-like element to the story. It’s as if the past is a ghost haunting him, and the only way to find peace is to confront it head-on.

The narrative takes us on a global journey as Ollie seeks to uncover the truth about his uncle. The settings are richly described, immersing readers in the vibrancy of different cultures while keeping the focus firmly on Ollie’s internal growth. The writing shines in these moments.

What I appreciate most about Oliver’s Travels is how Garstang refuses to provide easy answers. The novel doesn’t tie everything up in a neat bow; instead, it challenges readers to sit with ambiguity and consider the complexities of truth and memory.

The pacing is deliberate, and I felt it mirrored Ollie’s journey perfectly. Life’s big questions don’t come with quick resolutions, and neither does this book. That said, Clifford Garstang’s writing style is so elegant and engaging that I didn’t mind taking my time with it.

Clifford Garstang has created something special, and I’m already looking forward to revisiting it to catch the layers I may have missed the first time around.

Five stars without hesitation! This is a journey well worth taking.

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @henryroi.pr for the ebook.

Decisions. Is there a right one to set us on our life path? Or is it a series of choices? Each choice taking us down a different road through the journey of life.
Ollie is a typical young man not knowing what he wants to do in life. He's got dreams of being a writer but doesn't know how to make that happen so trains to be a teacher while creating an alter-ego of Oliver and writing about his adventures. Life experiences that he's too nervous to try himself initially.

It's a superbly written book about life, relationships, memory & truth. Ollie's family is dysfunctional. Parents dovorced. Mum an alcoholic. Sister with young children & strong religious beliefs. Brother suffering from PTSD after a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Father who he doesn't have much of a relationship with.
And then there's Uncle Scotty. He has conflicting childhood memories of his uncle that he's been told is dead. But he disappeared from his life well before dying. Why did he leave & where did he go & is he actually dead?

The book looks at the fallibility of memory. Of how our minds fill in the gaps. Did Ollie get abused as a child & is that why Scotty left?

As the story progresses and Ollie throws himself into a marriage with Mary despite confusion over his sexuality & feelings he starts tracking the movements of his Uncle. And so while writing of Oliver's Travels he begins to experience the world itself until it's difficult for him to distinguish whether Ollie or Oliver feels more real.

There are interesting relationships with a professor exploring philosophy & meditation and with an author that becomes something of a mentor.

It's a well rounded drama and there are surprises in the conclusion with the revealing of family secrets.
Not every choice Ollie makes is right or even likeable but that's life. No right decisions. Just a journey.

[Carol Saller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clifford Garstang is a wonderful writer. Oliver's Travels captures to a T the earnest awkwardness of a young person's immature intellectual gropings as they're introduced to the big philosophical questions of life. If you've been through it yourself in high school or college or even later, you'll either laugh or cringe in self-recognition. Garstang really nails this, as well as Ollie's gradual progression to more mature thought.

Ollie's vague memories of abuse are also conveyed incredibly well - the uncertainty, the flashes of memory, the self-doubt - all ring true, creating suspense as to the truth.

Like Garstang's previous books, Oliver's Travels is smart and complex, with the bonuses of a mystery and a sense of humor. I especially loved the portrayal of Ollie's progress as a writer, which in the beginning seems the unlikely dream of a poseur.

I like novels where the main character is flawed and has to work hard to bring you around, and that's how this one struck me - Ollie annoyed me to begin, but by the end I was rooting for him and staying up too late to see what would happen. (And what happened surprised me - something else I love in a novel.)

[Karla Huebner]

Finally getting around to saying something about this (and not sure why my Kindle didn't mark it as read here months ago). This is a charming and often humorous tale of a young man named Ollie and his fictional (suave, well-traveled) alter ego Oliver. Ollie himself is a recent college graduate dealing with questions of identity, what to do with his life, and to what extent to spend time with his fractured family (including his depressed and damaged war-veteran older brother). He pursues rather unsatisfactory relationships with women while wondering if he might also be attracted to men or even have been molested as a child; his main romantic partner is a young woman who is equally at sea, except that she doesn't seem to realize this, while Ollie to some extent does. Their overall incompatibility is both sad and humorous, but eventually Ollie does move on and comes to some new realizations about himself and his family. The novel is subtle and enjoyable.

[Betsy Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a long-time fan of Clifford Garstang's work. This is his best work yet. I know him to be a solid writer with a strong grasp of craft, but the complexity of this novel blew me away.

Take a philosophy major (Ollie) questions everything, from what his parents tell him, what he observes, from his friends, and from his teachers, to a memory he has of his Uncle scotty molesting him. To manage all these conflicting impressions, Ollie creates an alter ego, Oliver, who travels in search for the truth about his uncle. Are his memories real? Can he believe anyone? Can he believe himself?

Through powerful prose and vivid imagery, Garstang crafts a work that will leave you thinking long after you turn the last page.

[Carola Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clifford Garstang delivers a brilliantly written exploration of self-discovery and the search for truth in Oliver's Travels. This book is heartfelt. Ollie Tucker’s journey to uncover his past and redefine his future has humor, introspection and a warmth that makes it impossible not to cheer for him.

The contrast between Ollie’s quiet reality and the adventurous persona of Oliver creates an interesting dynamic. Garstang's writing confronts memories and the truths people hide even from themselves.

Highly recommended!

[Stephanie Benoist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliford Garstang relates the story of recent college graduate Ollie Tucker in a tidy, seamless narritive style where the immediate future is ominously tailored by a forgotten past with a vanished uncle, and riddled with deep family secrets. His quest for the truth as an aspiring novelist naturally takes shape in the creation of a parallel character who travels the world, in turn inspiring Oliver
to do the same. What is real, and what is imagined?

[Coffee Book Couch by Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

What elevates Oliver’s Travels from a simple coming-of-age story (though it’s so much more than that) is how it tackles philosophical questions without becoming heavy-handed. The narrative is richly layered with themes of perception, truth, and how our memories shape who we are. Yet, it never feels like a philosophy lecture. Instead, these themes arise naturally through Ollie’s interactions, struggles, and his confrontation with the past.

[Gary Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An elegantly plotted journey, full of surprising twists and turns. Once you pick up Oliver's Travels, you'll have a hard time putting it down. A clear-eyed look at what it means to enter adulthood, and really, "personhood." A great read and well worth the trip.

[Marianne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is thought-provoking, but it's also deeply entertaining. Oliver's Travels is a fascinating exploration of identity, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves.

Ollie's journey—part real, part imagined—is written with humor, poignancy, and truth, making it unique.

[Bradley Sides · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful comedic novel that takes a look at memory, the need for travel, and just how much it takes to uncover our own stories.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start, I found Ollie to be an interesting and sympathetic character. He seemed ordinary at first but when I got to know him, he was anything but. There was a bit of a Walter Mitty vibe to his story, and watching him deal with his real-life problems through his fictional counterpart was not only entertaining, but somehow heartening. It was as if Ollie used his writings as a big helium balloon to try to fly away from the people around him who were holding him back. Oliver's Travels dealt with some very serious and emotional issues, such as sexual identity, PTSD, family dysfunction, and the possibility of False Memory Syndrome. But it wasn't melodramatic or manipulative of my emotions. Instead it relied on strong writing and subtly building my connection to Ollie to keep me emotionally engaged. Ollie starts out unsure of who he is on so many levels. Watching him figure it out, in ways that were at times clumsy and at times inspired, was a pleasure.