A secessionist page-turner? Peter Heller’s riveting and closely observed new novel, Burn (Knopf), tells the story of two old friends on a hunting trip who hike out of the woods of northern Maine and into a drastically altered America… Heller, as he’s shown in previous, celebrated novels like The Last Ranger and The River, is a literary novelist with a talent for suspense who writes about the natural world as well as anyone. In Burn a pot of campfire coffee is as vividly described as a surprise helicopter attack, and Jess and Storey’s fight for survival exposes their all too human frailties— and the hidden truths that define their friendship.

— Taylor Antrim, Vogue

Heller is masterful at describing the feeling of being surrounded by nature. At one point in Burn, I likened the reading experience to sticking my face into the rust-colored bark of a Ponderosa pine to come away with the faintly sweet vanilla scent — something expected and decidedly human sprung from the rocky edges of the wilderness. Coincidentally, at the close of the book, Heller’s Jess does just that to a birch tree (which I learned smells minty). Either way, you walk away from Burn with the forest in your nose and a bit of uneasiness in your gut about the plausibility of things falling apart.

— Alison Borden, The Denver Post

Heller paints the looming dread surrounding the men’s mission like a master minimalist. But he makes you see the setting’s natural beauty, too, and that tragic juxtaposition really amps up the emotion. We also learn a lot about Storey and Jess’s past along the way — though Heller never lets the tension go slack for even a second. This white-knuckle read will keep you on edge.

— Apple Book Of The Month 

“Despite the high stakes, Heller gives the narrative plenty of space to breathe, allowing him to cast a haunting, immersive spell as his heroes traverse the ruined landscape. Painterly descriptions of nature and sparkling philosophical ruminations (“You are alone under the wheeling seasons, and the best memories are drained by loss”) elevate the proceedings. The result is a wilderness adventure with real emotional depth. ”

— Publishers Weekly

“The power of the unspoken is deafening in Peter Heller’s powerful and rewarding tour de force, Burn. Two best friends on an extended hunting trip in rural northern Maine find themselves trapped behind the lines of a violent secessionist movement. The book is filled with exceptionally well rooted nature writing and a narrative intensity driven by the slowly unfurling mystery and danger of Jess and Storey’s circumstances. Yet, as the pieces slowly fall into place, all these strengths primarily serve to heighten and illuminate Burn​’s core narrative, an exploration of what we owe each other, what our interpersonal responsibilities are and how the way we handle that responsibility defines the horizons of our personal narratives.”

— Kenny Brechner at Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers, Farmington ME

Peter Heller’s seventh novel, Burn is one of his best: It’s full of heart and soul amid the bleak landscape (be forewarned, there are numerous bodies). In fact, even those who don’t normally turn to dystopian novels are likely to be completely captivated. Heller excels at writing about the wilderness, showcasing its might and beauty amid deadly situations, as he’s done before in books like The Last Ranger, The Guide and The River…Burn is a propulsive tale that will keep readers on the edges of their seats from beginning to end.

— BookPage

“Heller…highlight[s] the unique importance and strong bond of male friendship. He excels at nature writing too, with lush, sensuous descriptions of beautiful rural landscapes that are illustrative of an author clearly at home in the outdoors.”

— Booklist

Storey and Jess are on a hunting trip in Maine when secessionists in the statespark a civil war. Peter Heller’s page-turners, typically set in the wild, peek beneath the hood of rugged masculinity.His complicated heroes fight to uphold human decency.

— The Christian Science Monitor 

“If he writes it, I will read it! This is my mantra regarding author, Peter Heller. Burn is the story of two lifelong friends that emerge from the deep woods after a long hunting trip only to find a dystopian scene. Secessionists have taken control of Maine and have left grave destruction in their wake. This page turner is a story of survival, shock, friendship, morality and the risks of polarization. You will fly through the pages but the story will linger with you for a very long time.”

— Fran Ziegler, Titcomb’s Bookshop

“I could not put this book down, and finished the entire thing one morning. Told in tension filled prose, Heller takes us through the Maine woods during a rogue militia takeover where the hunters come upon burned villages, corpses, dead dogs, only boats left rocking in the lake breeze. Their lives are at stake and only their bravery, intuition and risk can save them. What a thrilling ride!”

— Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books

Fast-paced, intense, shocking, and relevant, Heller grabs his readers and throws them down a path of chaos and political turmoil.

— Miriam Roskam, Mountainshire Books

“Burn” grabs you from its first chapter — in which Jess and Storey wander into an abandoned town where the torched buildings are still smoldering — and never lets go. Heller doesn’t provide many signs that his warring factions can come to an understanding but, as in all of his books, he offers comfort in the goodness of (some) people and the very human instinct to keep each other safe.

— Chris Hewitt, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Every fall childhood friends Jess and Storey spend a few weeks hunting and hiking in the woods of Northern Maine. This year when they emerge it’s into an eerily silent and changed world of burned and destroyed towns largely devoid of people. Has Maine succeeded from the Union? A civil war? Burn by Peter Heller is a riveting and chilling novel of survival and friendship set in a very possible near future. Highly recommended!”

— Caitlin Baker/​Island Books/​Mercer Island, WA

Peter Heller’s portrayal of thoughtful, sensitive, and intelligent men grows richer with each new novel, andBurn is exceptional. Two longtime friends are on a hunting trip in Maine when they find themselves in a freshly erupted war zone. US troops are fighting local secessionists. The friends try to escape the battle, but they are forced to engage, Past traumas are reawakened, and new ones are formed. Unputdownable and unforgettable.

— Kay Wosewick, Boswell Book Company 

Heller shares that rare kind of friendship that can only exist between people who communicate with few words. A friendship forged over time and replete with memories. A friendship able to survive secrets. 

Suspended between heartbreak and hope, Jess unfolds a past rife with loss, regret, and questions about existence… but also filled with love and belonging. His character development throughout the novel is masterfully subtle. He and Storey perform a give-and-take over decisions of survival at every step; their bond feels visceral. 

With strikingly tactile imagery peppered throughout scenes of profound emotional trauma, BURN presents the frightening scenario of a nation irrevocably divided, and two friends caught in the crosshairs. ​“So what do the flags mean?” The question chills.

A novel impossible to put down, BURN consumed me.

— Laurel McHargue, award-winning author of the Waterwight series; Alligator Preserves podcast host

The two friends, used to taking cues easily and silently from one another, react out of instinct yet in tandem in a way that underlines the strength of their relationship and also the increasingly clear nature of their differences — differences that in an indefinable way create tension while increasing their chances of survival. As they jointly navigate the frightening hellscape in which they find them­selves, we are perched on the edge of our seats, riveted by the action yet simultaneously trying to make sense of a world beyond reason or sense, a world uncomfortably close to the one in which we live.

— Betsy Burton/​TKE/​SLC

Peter Heller’s new novel, Burn, is a tenacious page turner that National Writers Series staff could not put down, with most of the team reading it in a 24-hour period!

— Noelle Riley, Marketing and Communications Director, National Writers Series