THE LEFT AND THE LUCKY

Vlautin’s latest reminds us you can build a family anywhere, even among people who are barely hanging on.

In his previous books, including The Horse (2024) and The Night Always Comes (2021), Vlautin gives us portraits of people just getting by, defined by their simple ability to take a beating and endure. His latest novel follows that same path with Eddie Wilkens, a 40-something house painter in Portland, Oregon, whose affection for a battered Pontiac LeMans reflects his outlook on people. “No, I like it the way it is,” he says when he buys it. “I’m going to keep the dents, too. I like dents.” Eddie’s neighbor, Russell, an 8-year-old boy whose family is unraveling, has dents of his own: a bullying older brother, a distracted mother, and a beloved grandmother slipping into dementia. Drawn to Eddie’s kindness, Russell forms an unlikely friendship with him, one that deepens despite the pressures surrounding them. Vlautin is very good at revealing the despair that lurks behind ordinary routines, and the way small acts of generosity can briefly hold it at bay. His depiction of Portland’s working class is unsparing. A shadow looms in Russell’s older brother, Curtis, whose anger over an absent father, a pregnant girlfriend who rejects him, a collapsing home life, and his own fear of the future turns to violence. The story builds toward a moment of profound sadness, but isn’t without hope. At the heart of it all is Eddie himself. Why does he tolerate so much? Why does he forgive those who disappoint him—his unreliable employee, Houston; his estranged addict wife, Marlene; even Russell, whose mistakes nearly cost Eddie everything? The answer, revealed late, lies in a private sorrow that has shaped Eddie’s capacity for patience. His aunt Frances captures the truth of Eddie’s life best: “Having someone need you so you don’t give up. That’s the luck.” Eddie may be the one others rely on, but it’s clear he needs them just as much.

A bleak yet compassionate and life-affirming tale about how human connection is critical to survival.