Burn A Novel

From Peter Heller, the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, comes a gripping novel that plunges two lifelong friends into a fractured America teetering on the brink of collapse.

Every year, Jess and Storey retreat to the remote wilderness of Maine—a ritual of camping, hunting, and the comfortable silences that define decades of friendship. But this summer, the country has been convulsing with secession fever, and what seemed like distant political theater becomes terrifyingly real. When they emerge from weeks off the grid, they discover a landscape transformed: bridges destroyed, towns burned, the familiar world replaced by chaos and violence.

What follows is a harrowing journey home through a country they no longer recognize. Dragging a wagon across devastated roads, scavenging what they can, and dodging armed forces whose allegiances remain unclear, the two men must navigate not only physical danger but the unspoken tensions of their own relationship. Then a shocking discovery changes everything, raising the stakes of their survival and forcing them to confront what truly matters.

Heller masterfully weaves the stark beauty of the natural world with the intimate rhythms of male friendship, creating a story that feels both urgently contemporary and timeless. Burn is a visceral warning about our divided nation and a powerful meditation on the families we choose—a testament to human connection even at the edge of catastrophe.

For readers who crave literary thrillers with heart, environmental awareness, and prose that cuts to the bone.

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