Far to Go: A Novel

"Deftlystructured and . . . seamless." —Globe and Mail (Toronto)
 
"[A]nuanced and layered portrait of betrayal. . . . The strength of Far to Golies in Pick's ability to show precisely why one person could turn on another,how a single word spoken on impulse could have devastating results." —MontrealGazette

Alison Pick, acclaimed author of The Sweet Edge, delivers the moving and suspenseful story of an affluentJewish family in Czechoslovakia at the onset of World War II, and the governesswho forever alters their future when she seeks shelter in their midst.Interwoven with a present-day narrative revealing each character’s fates after thewar, Far to Go is an emotionallyvivid, masterfully wrought narrative that the Montreal Gazette calls, "an intriguing experiment in the art ofstorytelling." |

The Man Booker Prize finalist Far to Go by acclaimed author Alison Pick is historical fiction at its very best.

When Czechoslovakia relinquishes the Sudetenland to Hitler, the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda sweeps through towns and villages like a sinister vanguard of the Reich's advancing army. A fiercely patriotic secular Jew, Pavel Bauer is helpless to prevent his world from unraveling as first his government, then his business partners, then his neighbors turn their back on his affluent, once-beloved family. Only the Bauers' adoring governess, Marta, sticks by Pavel, his wife, Anneliese, and their little son, Pepik, bound by her deep affection for her employers and friends. But when Marta learns of their impending betrayal at the hands of her lover, Ernst, Pavel's best friend, she is paralyzed by her own fear of discovery—even as the endangered family for whom she cares so deeply struggles with the most difficult decision of their lives.

Interwoven with a present-day narrative that gradually reveals the fate of the Bauer family during and after the war, Far to Go is a riveting family epic, love story, and psychological drama.

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“[A] nuanced and layered portrait of betrayal. . . . What makes this novel special is not so much its storyline as Pick’s challenging, even audacious way of recounting it. . . . The strength of Far to Go lies in Pick’s ability to show precisely why one person could turn on another, how a single word spoken on impulse could have devastating results. . . . An intriguing experiment in the art of storytelling. Far to Go explores the ways in which truths and facts can be assembled, reassembled and jiggled this way and that, like so many fragments of stained glass inside a kaleidoscope.” - Montreal Gazette

“Inspired by Pick’s grandparents’ own story, Far to Go is a haunting and suspenseful read, one that’s sure to stay with you long after the last page is turned.” - Torontoist.com

“The writing in Far to Go is clean, crisp and unencumbered. Pick never dwells for too long in an image or metaphor, and she creates small moments that are both lovely and frightening. At slightly more than 300 pages, the book resists the urge to overstay its welcome. It’s very deftly structured and the storytelling is seamless. With rights sold in the United States, Britain, Holland and Italy, Far to Go appears poised to gain a wide and significant readership, and deservedly so.” - Globe and Mail (Toronto)