Drop City
Josh Cohen
Library Journal

Hippie communes might seem like ancient history, but Boyle (Riven Rock) portrays them convincingly in his new work. After riding cross-country together, Star and Ronnie join Norm Sender's California commune and quickly move in different directions. Ronnie attempts to take as many drugs and make it with as many women as possible, while Star gets involved with the draft-dodging Marco. Meanwhile, Norm finds out that the board of health is going to condemn the buildings and, in a classic evocation of 1960s romanticism and naïveté, informs the group that they are moving to his uncle's cabin in Alaska. There, Pamela has decided to wed trapper Sess Harder, who has an ongoing feud with Joe Bodsky. When the hippies pull into town, the locals have mixed reactions, and as the long Alaskan winter descends, a variety of friendships and enmities develop along the Harder-Bodsky feud line. Boyle captures the drop-out-and-get-back-to-theland spirit of the era, as well as the chill and isolation of the Alaska winter, with a clarity that has earned him a reputation as one of our best writers. Highly recommended.