After a childhood spent dreaming of escape from rural squalor, Hollis Dixon is at long last ready to begin a better life at a prominent east coast university. When an unexpected pregnancy and tragic death make him a single father, Hollis fears his hardships may prove inescapable. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in the late-twentieth century, this coming of middle-age novel about making a living and missing a life is a haunting portrait of an American family in crisis. Rebecca Burgess has crafted a stunning debut that offers an unflinching view from the material-era trenches.