The Way
Cary Groner
Available as Hardback
13 March 2025
A man on the run, accompanied by a raven, a cat and a teenage girl, holds the cure to a lethal virus in this postapocalyptic road trip and quest-for-redemption novel
The world has been ravaged by a lethal virus and, with few exceptions, only the young have survived. Cities have been destroyed, and the natural world has reclaimed the landscape in surprising ways, with herds of wild camels roaming the American West and crocodiles that glow neon green lurking in the rivers.
Against this perilous backdrop, Will Collins, the de facto caretaker of a Buddhist monastery in Colorado, receives an urgent and mysterious request: to deliver a potential cure to a scientist in what was once California. So Will sets out, haunted by dreams of the woman he once loved, in a rusted-out pickup pulled by two mules. A menacing thug is on his tail. Armed militias patrol the roads. And the only way he’ll make it is with the help of a clever raven, an opinionated cat and a tough teenage girl who has learned to survive on her own.
A highly original contribution to the canon of dystopian literature, The Way is a thrilling and imaginative novel, full of warmth, wisdom and surprises that reflect our world in unsettling, uncanny and even hopeful ways.
“Part survival story, part grimoire, The Way is a magical book. Cary Groner is a master storyteller. His glorious, enchanting prose cast a spell on me from the bleak beginnings of his post-apocalyptic tale until its symphonic conclusion. In the end, The Way tells us that the only way to survive this world we’ve destroyed is to make better friends with the animals who remain”
Domenica Ruta
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“Not many writers could match the marvellous imaginative achievement of Cary Groner’s The Way. Groner creates a post-apocalyptic world that is frighteningly believable, and populates it with finely-drawn characters – both gracious and wicked – whose capacity for love, hope, and cruelty mirrors what we encounter in our real, present world. Part page-turner, part love story, partly a plea for respect of both human and animal life, The Way heightened my appreciation for what I too often take for granted”
Roland Merullo
“A thrilling, life-affirming adventure, The Way is a bold blend of a post-apocalyptic scorched earth, ancient Buddhism and interspecies relationships – all packed into a tightly woven story of horror, hope and love”
Katie Hafner
“This epic journey through a near-future, postapocalyptic landscape blends extreme suspense with serene meditation… . Groner offers a contemplative take on the postapocalyptic genre that leaves room for hope but doesn’t stint on realism. This novel reads like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road meets Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
library Journal (starred Review)
“The novel blends action with deep philosophical reflections, offering a hopeful perspective on life after disaster. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and Oryx and Crake, The Way is a triumphant success”
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Cary Groner
Cary Groner grew up in the Midwest and has lived primarily on the West Coast since finishing college. He worked as a journalist for many years before earning his MFA in fiction writing from the University of Arizona in 2009. His short stories have won numerous awards and appeared in venues that include Glimmer Train, American Fiction, Southern California Review, Salamander, Sycamore Review and Mississippi Review. His debut novel, Exiles, was published by Spiegel & Grau in 2011, and was named a Chicago Tribune ‘favorite book’ of that year. Cary lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay area.
carygroner.com