Out in the American West, the seemingly unrelated lives of several people are poised to intersect or even reunite in many interesting ways. Eve Chambers is living with a somewhat lazy and irresponsible boyfriend named Gerald when a pregnancy scare sends her to seek a new life as a truck driver. Her friend Trish, equally stalled out and frustrated with her lot, seizes an opportunity to change her fortune by accessing the safety deposit box of Gerald’s parents and making off with most of the cash. Separated in Colorado, Eve and Gerald are reunited by chance at a wedding in Arizona, and shortly afterward, Eve learns about the father she never knew and the fact that she is an heir-apparent in a prominent oil business. As unpredictability curves the road of Eve’s life again and again, she is forced to adapt and try to achieve some sense of stability and identity.

The lonesome highways and truck stops, along with the sprawling ranch-style urban development common in the western United States, serve as a lonesome but striking environment for this story of missed connections and unexpected reunions. The story sets itself up with a tension that gives the reader plenty of reason to suspect unfolding drama, but the direction of the narrative is a constant surprise from chapter to chapter and subverts any expectations readers might have. Dramatic tension and character development are abundant, giving the cast plenty of space to interact in surprising and unexpected ways and showing the contrast between the sprawling open land and the way that people genuinely do seem to bump into each other regardless of the odds. Mysterious and forlorn before finding its satisfying resolution, this story well exemplifies the American attitude that any set of circumstances, no matter how challenging, presents a road to a new opportunity.

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