Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 286 pages
Published October 2nd 2018 by Grove Atlantic Grove Press
About the Book:
Midwestern movie house owner Virgil Wander is "cruising along at medium altitude" when his car flies off the road into icy Lake Superior. Virgil survives but his language and memory are altered and he emerges into a world no longer familiar to him. Awakening in this new life, Virgil begins to piece together his personal history and the lore of his broken town, with the help of a cast of affable and curious locals--from Rune, a twinkling, pipe-smoking, kite-flying stranger investigating the mystery of his disappeared son; to Nadine, the reserved, enchanting wife of the vanished man; to Tom, a journalist and Virgil's oldest friend; and various members of the Pea family who must confront tragedies of their own. Into this community returns a shimmering prodigal son who may hold the key to reviving their town.

Wander—what a name. It’s almost a calling. You’ve had some adventures, with a name like that.
This story is so charming, full of humor and a grace that is often missing in these heavy-handed days. This book had such heart, and I enjoyed reading it so much. The characters were likeable and humanly flawed. A pleasant, entertaining novel, there are some very funny parts as well as serious and dramatic parts and some surprisingly pertinent exploration of some modern social issues.

The message was that I should’ve died, but hadn’t. The notion that I’d somehow put one over on mortality was exhausting.
A sweet, kind-hearted, and ultimately hopeful novel about the difference between the way we live and the way we hoped to live. Endearing characters and a very original plot filled with unexpected moments make this book a pleasure and a gift.

Life is more than the next sandwich.
Virgil Wander is the kind of novel that doesn't come around often. It is a reader's dream come true, a substantial story that is heart-warming, humorous, and heart-breaking all at the same time. Every time I pick up a new book to read I am hopeful and excited that it will be a story that will stay with me and touch me in a way that I won't soon forget. This is the one in a million book that lived up to all of my expectations and more. I look forward to reading more of Leif Enger works.

What a relief, the thought of a warm kitchen, the giving of gifts, the awkward singing and generational strain. How gorgeous and lush and difficult.

Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic/Grove Press and Leif Enger for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#VirgilWander #NetGalley