The harder they come, paperback/t. c. boyle

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author T.

Boyle makes his Ecco debut with a powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent in the American character.

Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile connections between three damaged people--an aging ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the sons paranoid, much older lover--as they careen towards an explosive confrontation.

On a vacation cruise to Central America with his wife, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen unflinchingly kills a gun-wielding robber menacing a busload of senior tourists.

The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California, after the ordeal--only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control.

Adam has become involved with Sara Hovarty Jennings, a hardened member of the Sovereign Citizens Movement, right-wing anarchists who refuse to acknowledge the laws and regulations of the state, considering them to be false and non-applicable.

Adams senior by some fifteen years, Sara becomes his protector and inamorata.

As Adams mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly schizophrenic--a breakdown that leads him to shoot two people in separate instances.

On the run, he takes to the woods, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history.

As he explores a fathers legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, T.

Boyle offers unparalleled psychological insights into the American psyche.

Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.