"The vastness around him was now his flesh. And yet, nothing - not the countless footsteps taken or knowledge acquired, not the adversaries bested or the friends made, not the love felt or the blood shed - had made it his."

In theory, I did not think this would be a book I would enjoy. Historical fiction about a lone man experiencing violence and desolation? Typically not my genre. However, In the Distance is an incredible book and Håkan is a captivating protagonist. Hernan Diaz writes so artfully and efficiently - I don't think there is a single superfluous word in this novel. Often reading like an early American folktale, this novel follows Håkan on a sort of anti-hero's journey. He constantly gets swept up in situations that he'd rather avoid. Some of the situations are so extreme that they invite disbelief. However, Diaz somehow manages to keep Håkan's story convincing all the way up to the perfect ending.