In this riveting, ambitious novel from James A. Michener, the renowned chronicler of epic history turns his extraordinary imagination to a world he knew better than anyone: the world of books. Lukas Yoder, a novelist who has enjoyed a long, successful career, has finished what he believes to be his final work. Then a tragedy strikes in his community, and he becomes obsessed with writing about it. Meanwhile, Yoder's editor fights to preserve her integrity--and her author--as her firm becomes the target of a corporate takeover; a local critic who teaches literature struggles with his ambitions and with his feelings about Yoder's success; and a devoted reader holds the key to solving the mystery that haunts Yoder's hometown. Praise for The Novel "Michener explores some of the deepest issues raised by narrative literature."--The New York Times "A good, old-fashioned, sink-your-teeth-into-it story . . . The Novel lets us see an unfamiliar side of the author, at the same time portraying the delicate, complex relationship among editors, agents and writers."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "Michener loves literature, and his information about some of his favorite reading is almost as alluring as his explanation of how to handle a manuscript."--Associated Press "So absorbing you simply will not want [it] to end."--Charleston News & Courier