The Front - (Flyover Fiction) by Journey Herbeck (Paperback)

About the Book

Taking place in the span of twenty-four hours, The Front follows a man and his nine-year-old niece as they try to escape the apocalyptic circumstances that have come to their home.

Book Synopsis

For one family living on the very western edge of the Great Plains, life runs parallel to the forces that had always endangered its existence. There was a price to obtain this parallel life, of course, but the family had paid it and for once found a way to survive. They had a little water. They had a little food. They had a little work. They were fine--until they weren't.

Taking place in the span of twenty-four hours, The Front follows a man and his nine-year-old niece as they try to escape the apocalyptic circumstances that have come to their home. Traveling north through outbreaking war, the pair navigate the disintegrating balance between rival powers. As new lines are drawn, the neutral spot their family had come to occupy is no longer recognized by either side, and the only chance for safety is to try to cross the Northern Line.

Review Quotes

"Here is a book that will make you think. About the future of our planet. About the violence in our hearts. About where the human story is going. But mostly it will make you think about your humanity, about what you'd do to save the ones you love. That feeling you get reading this book? It's how you know you're face-to-face with the real thing. Herbeck is the real thing."--Sterling HolyWhiteMountain, lecturer in the Department of English at Stanford University

"Rarely do I come upon a novel that's genuinely original. The Front is. I've never heard a voice like this, never seen a vision like this, never read a story like this. An unforgettable debut by a remarkable talent."--Ann Pancake, author of Me and My Daddy Listen to Bob Marley

"Spare and singular, Journey Herbeck's haunting The Front is a tender quest story set in a landscape worn thin by violence and privation. Riven with suspense and also much sweetness, this harshly beautiful tale enthralls, cautions, and inspires."--Adrianne Harun, author of A Man Came Out of a Door in a Mountain

About the Author

Journey Herbeck writes fiction and teaches high school science in Montana.