Abstract:
Ellis, a booming mid-sized town in California's Central Valley, is packed with
farmers and commuters, and plagued with a dwindling sense of itself and its history. Set
against the backdrop of a failed murder-suicide, a secret affair and a wealthy local mogul's
attempt to develop the town into something it's never been, West of Ellis tells the story of four
individuals from different walks of life: a desperate, fallen actor who's written his own suicide
opus, a scientific young teacher trying to escape her past, a passionate Buddhist who's fallen
in love with a co-worker, and an alcoholic defense attorney who can never possess the only
thing in the world he really wants. In Ellis, these four characters find their lives intertwined
with the town, with history, and with each other. When Ellis's precarious identity is
threatened, each character is forced to decide what matters most. This novel examines themes
of human desire, the significance of place, and the meaning of identity.
