Sometimes life deals you a bad hand. Things happen that aren’t entirely your fault. Maybe the decision you made wasn’t the right one, but is that mistake something that should hang over you the rest of your life?

In The Lincoln Highway, we are introduced to Emmett Watson, an 18-year-old who was serving time for involuntary manslaughter at a juvenile farm when his father dies. The Watson family farm is in foreclosure, and his mother disappeared many years before. The only hope for his eight-year-old brother, Billy, is Emmet’s release.

Billy is still young enough to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. He still believes in heroes and dreams and thinks the two of them can travel to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway and locate their long-lost mother. Emmett isn’t so sure, but he does want to start a new life, far away from the life he once knew. Unfortunately, trouble seems to follow Emmett.

No sooner has the warden of the juvenile farm dropped Emmett off than trouble appears in the form of two fellow inmates who snuck into the back of the truck. Woolly was cast off by his wealthy family for not fitting in. However, he is supposed to inherit a large sum of money from his grandfather when he turns eighteen. Duchess, the other inmate, has a good heart but is looking for a big score to a life of ease. He’s crafted a plan to get them all Duchess’ inheritance and a fresh start.

Emmett is not interested, but Duchess creates a scenario where Emmett has to chase after them as they travel to New York City and then on to the upstate estate belonging to Woolly’s family. Along the way, they meet up with a variety of interesting characters who populate the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lincoln Highway, even though it was not what I was expecting. I can’t remember any more what my preconceived notion of the story was, but it was much different than what this story ended up being. The prose flows nicely, even when it turns to Bily’s eight-year-old point of view. He’s enamored of a book given to him by a librarian which details numerous heroes, literary characters, and fantasy figures. His naiveté grates on Emmett at times, but above all he wants to give his brother a better life. They bond along the way as they chase down Woolly and Duchess. Emmett must come to terms with what sent him to the juvenile farm.

All of this takes place in the span of ten days after Emmett is released from the farm, but it feels like it’s a lot longer. The level of detail in the events that take place truly immersed me in the story. Each character gets their own perspective on things, and the style is different each time. No one is truly bad; all of the boys make unwise decisions at some point, and I wanted to yell at them when they did. How the story plays out, though, is like a slice of life, even though it’s a real turning point for Emmett and Billy and the lives they will lead.

I really enjoyed The Lincoln Highway, and it will lead me to other works by this author. It’s the story of a time and place that doesn’t exist anymore, and of people being able to shed their past and start anew. It’s also a journey, both physically and of the spirit. I highly recommend it.