From the national bestselling author of The Last Crossing, a story that’s “by turns a western, a critique of Hollywood, and a novel of ideas” (The New York Times Book Review).
In 1920s Hollywood, elusive producer Damon Ira Chance is obsessed with making movies rooted in American history and experience. So after discovering that small-time actor Shorty McAdoo is a real-life cowboy—and is even rumored to have played a role in the Cypress Hills Massacre—Chance commissions ambitious young screenwriter Harry Vincent to find Shorty and retell his story.
But as Harry digs deeper into Shorty’s life, he uncovers a surprising tale of survival, power, greed, and the seduction of dreams . . . all with ending that no one is prepared for.
“A wonderful writer . . . The Englishman’s Boy is a great accomplishment.” —Richard Ford
“An epic tale that brings together the American West before the turn of the century with the Hollywood of the 1920s.” — Los Angeles Times
“Fascinating . . . Vanderhaeghe seamlessly alternates two interconnected stories. . . . Masterful storytelling.” —Entertainment Weekly
“A compelling yarn that delivers provocative intellectual content about the ways our tendency to mythologize history can prevent us from learning its lessons.” —San Francisco Chronicle
