Don’t Skip Out on Me

2020 Longlist

Meet Horace Hopper, a twenty-one-year-old farm hand in Tonopah, Nevada, who works for Mr Reese and his wife, the nearest thing he’s had to family in years.

But Horace, half-white half-Paiute Indian, dreams of bigger things. Leaving behind the farm and its fragile stability, he heads south to re-invent himself as the Mexican boxer Hector Hidalgo. Slowly, painfully, the possibility emerges that his dreams might not just be the delusions of a lost soul. But at what cost, and what of those he’s left behind?

Exploring the fringes of contemporary America, Don’t Skip Out on Me is a compassionate novel about the need for human connection and understanding – and essential reading, now more than ever.

About the Author

Willy Vlautin was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. Vlautin has published four other novels: The Free, Lean on Pete, Northline and The Motel Life. He is the singer and songwriter of the band Richmond Fontaine and a member of the band The Delines. He lives outside Portland, Oregon.

Librarian’s Comments

One of the most borrowed by the readers of the library of Ghent, Don’t Skip Out on Me, is written by Willy Vlautin, an interesting American writer (but also a musician and songwriter). His main character lives on the edge of contemporary American society. Openbare Bibliotheek Gent, Belgium