FIRE IN THE CANYON

CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD FINALIST

“Between this novel and his debut classic, The Boatbuilder, Daniel Gumbiner is fast becoming a sort of 21st century Steinbeck, authoritatively illuminating life in California, with all its glories and calamity. Filled with vivid characters and deep knowledge of the land, this is a commanding second novel." 
—Dave Eggers

"Stunning. Fire in the Canyon is not just a soulful, loving, funny, deeply perceptive elegy for a family, their neighbors, community, and a whole region suffering the chaos and sorrow of climate collapse—though if it were only that, it would be a feat. This novel also paints a path forward. Daniel Gumbiner is one of our greatest living writers on and of the American West, and this book is a thing of beauty." 
—Claire Vaye Watkins

“I have felt for a long time like we need more California novels, and since reading his first novel, The Boatbuilder, more writers like Daniel Gumbiner. It is subtle how good Gumbiner is at what he does, because the pacing here is perfect, in fact it reads like a page-turner, while also being filled with quiet, sad, and funny family moments of tension and resolve. Gumbiner has written something that feels as if it came effortlessly, but it is his second novel, so it couldn’t have? I read it in one sitting.” 
—Tommy Orange

THE BOATBUILDER

NOMINATED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD FINALIST

“This is an utterly beautiful book. To read it is to understand that you have been waiting for it.” 
—Alejandro Zambra

“The Boatbuilder is a gorgeous debut about addiction, aspiration, and art on the California coast. It’s radiantly imagined, often moving, always funny, and teeming with life. Daniel Gumbiner isn’t a writer to watch—he’s one to read.” 
—Anthony Marra

“Daniel Gumbiner brings coastal California into sparkling focus in this moving story of a young man’s transition into adulthood. Told with wit and heart, The Boatbuilder is a meditation on love, loyalty, and the shared experiences that turn strangers into family.” 
—Tayari Jones

“This book’s alive. The Boatbuilder is a surprising and soulful first novel and it deserves many, many readers.” 
—Peter Orner