I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, Leif Enger’s forthcoming I CHEERFULLY REFUSE is a rollicking adventure story set on Lake Superior. It’s a big-hearted novel with an unlikely hero – protagonist Rainy embodies the empathy and compassion and motivation robbed of a society run by a wealthy and malevolent ruling class.
Rainy is a musician and his beloved wife, Lark, runs a bookshop out of a local bread shop, steadily growing her inventory of used books through donations. Reading has grown out of fashion and is discouraged by the billionaire class – led by the country’s first proudly illiterate president. When Lark comes upon a rare and unpublished manuscript by her favorite author, Molly Thorn, entitled I CHEERFULLY REFUSE, she garners some unwelcome attention from a dark and menacing figure who visits the shop.
When Rainy and Lark take in a boarder, their life is upended. Kellen is a scrawny, young fugitive on the run after escaping from his withering life as an indentured servant to the “astronauts” – a small group of billionaires who own nearly everything, including the airwaves, the waterways, and of course, all mineral rights. Just as Rainy begins to think of Kellan as the younger brother he never had, Kellen disappears.
After a devastating event, Rainy escapes to his sailboat, hoping to reach an idyllic shoreline where he and Lark once dreamed of the future. But the enemy is in pursuit and Rainy has something he wants, though at times he is uncertain about what that might be.
Along the way, Rainy encounters Sol, an orphaned waif of a girl, who sorely needs protection and escape, and she accompanies him on his journey. The two form a family of sorts, on the run from their evil interlopers but equally resourceful and determined.
I CHEERFULLY REFUSE is Enger’s magnum opus -- his language and dialogue are musical and imaginative, and his characters are charming and intrepid. I adored this lyrical, literary story. Highly recommended for fans of PEACE LIKE A RIVER and THE BIG FISH.
