A Prayer for Travelers

A Prayer for Travelers
AuthorRuchika Tomar
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherRiverhead Books
Publication date
July 9, 2019
Publication placeUnited States
Pages352
AwardsPEN/Hemingway (2020)
ISBN9780525537038

A Prayer for Travelers is the debut novel of American writer Ruchika Tomar, published in 2019 by Riverhead Books. The novel won the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award.[1]

It is a mystery and coming-of-age story,[2] revolving around the friendship between two young women, Cale and Penny, who live in a small town near the California–Nevada border, and the sudden disappearance of one of them.[3][4]

Reception

Adrienne Gaffney in the San Francisco Chronicle described the book as "a portrait of two young women coming of age in a world full of hard men [...] where the brutality of the landscape is matched by the circumstances that her characters live in".[5] Chris Vola on PopMatters gave a rating of 8/10 to the book, highlighting "the visual world that Tomar conjures, a marvelously drawn background of creosote and rabbitbrush, [...] with enough personality to rival any of the ragged souls who populate [...] gas stations, seedy bars, and hotel rooms." while at the same time suggesting that "ome of Tomar’s stylistic choices leave something to be desired".[6]

The judges of PEN/Hemingway, awarding the book as best debut novel in 2020, called it "a remarkable piece of writing, astute in style and structure and also in the story that it tells."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b S, Joy (24 March 2020). "Ruchika Tomar wins PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel, A Prayer for Travelers". Indulge Express. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Jael Richardson's book pick: A Prayer For Travellers by Ruchika Tomar". CBC.ca. 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Ruchika Tomar". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  4. ^ Verma, Nidhi. "A Prayer for Travelers". Platform Mag. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ Gaffney, Adrienne (28 June 2019). "Review: Evocative 'A Prayer for Travelers' is noir meditation on female friendship". Datebook. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  6. ^ Vola, Chris (16 July 2019). "A Mother Who Eats Her Young? 'A Prayer for Travelers', PopMatters". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.