New Novel on the life of Henry David Thoreau

The reimagining of historical events and the lives of significant people in history is a time-honored tradition in contemporary literature. While narrative nonfiction can be quite engaging in the retelling of familiar stories, the historical fiction genre has produced some great entertainment across digital and print media. And the artistic license involved can be great fun.

Recent examples that have captured my interest include the AppleTV series Dickinson, the Hulu reimagining of the reign of Catherine the Great, the story of a bookstore's rise to prominence with the publication of one of literature's most significant works in The Paris Bookseller, and a fascinating parallel narrative about Shakespeare in Hamnet. And now we can add my favorite American punk rocker Henry Thoreau to the mix.

Longtime friend of the Thoreau Society and prolific writer Andrew Furman, a professor of literature at Florida Atlantic University, has just published a novel about Concord's most famous son who would go on to become one of America's most important writers and philosophers in his short forty-four-year life. Furman's novel The World That We Are imagines and retells the story of a special moment in Thoreau's life that came about when a young woman moved to town and captivated both Henry and his brother John, and he juxtaposes that story with a contemporary one about "David Hertzog, a Thoreau scholar in present-day Maine, [who] embarks on a reflective journey in the autumn of his life upon the unexpected return of his estranged daughter."

In 1837, a young Henry David Thoreau sets out to lead an extraordinary life in Concord, Massachusetts, combating formidable obstacles. He struggles to find work as a teacher, to discover his voice as a writer, and to realize true friendship and romantic love, battling all the while against the “family disease” that threatens his health. When a captivating young woman arrives in town, she ignites a tumultuous love triangle with Thoreau’s brother, forcing matters to a crisis. Meanwhile, David Hertzog, a Thoreau scholar in present-day Maine, embarks on a reflective journey in the autumn of his life upon the unexpected return of his estranged daughter. Her reappearance in town forces him to grapple with their painful shared history and seek a new path forward. Alternating between these two timelines, The World That We Are delves into enduring themes of love, family, the quest for meaningful work, and the search for a true home in the spinning cosmos.