Willy Vlautin

Willy Vlautin made a strong debut as an author with Motel Life in 2006. His new novel Lean on Pete shows him at his very best, telling the story of a bleak but at times also heartwarming world. This “small American odyssey” will be published in Dutch in early April as De ruwe weg.

De ruwe weg tells the story of Charley Thompson, a boy of fifteen who is far too often left to fend for himself. His mother left when he was small, and his, in principle loving, father is more absent than present. After yet another sudden and unexplained move, they end up in Portland, Oregon, where Charley drifts around the outskirts of the city and eventually finds himself at the local racetrack. Everything there is in decline: the stands are mostly closed, the track is worn down, and the racehorses are second-rate. Still, Charley finds his place. He gets a job with the dubious horse trainer Del and forms a bond with one of Del’s horses, Lean on Pete. But then life takes a dark turn, and Charley runs away. What follows is a long journey to Wyoming, in search of his father’s sister — a loving aunt he remembers from early childhood.

In addition to being a writer, Willy Vlautin is also known as the frontman of the band Richmond Fontaine. The band performed at Crossing Border in 2006. Motel Life was even published in Dutch at the time (as Motelleven) by the Crossing Border Books imprint. That imprint has since been discontinued; De ruwe weg is being published by Vlautin’s new publisher Nijgh & Van Ditmar.

During this BorderKitchen, Vlautin will be interviewed by Jan Donkers (VPRO, NRC Handelsblad). There will also be a few songs performed from We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River, Richmond Fontaine’s final album. Vlautin wrote both the first version of De ruwe weg and these songs while recovering from a long period of rest after falling from his own horse.

Location: Weimarstraat 36, The Hague. Start time: 8:00 PM.

Reviews:
“Forget Franzen, this is what US writers can say and do.” – Irish Times
“Lean on Pete is brilliant; I was sorry when I’d finished it.” – Roddy Doyle
“A sad, often brutal, but oddly beautiful portrait of an America we choose not to see.” – The Independent

About Richmond Fontaine:
“There is an unassuming brilliance to much that they do… bristling with finely-tooled detail.” – UNCUT (5/5)