The Farther Shore by Matthew Eck (adult books to read .txt) 📗

University of Central Missouri. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Milkweed National Fiction Prize

Milkweed Editions awards the Milkweed National Fiction Prize to works of high literary quality that embody humane values and contribute to cultural understanding. For more information about the Milkweed National Fiction Prize or to order past winners, visit our Web site (www.milkweed.org) or contact Milkweed Editions at (800) 520-6455.

Driftless

David Rhodes

(2008)

The Farther Shore

Matthew Eck

(2007)

Visigoth

Gary Amdahl

(2006)

Crossing Bully Creek

Margaret Erhart

(2005)

Ordinary Wolves

Seth Kantner

(2004)

Roofwalker

Susan Power

(2002)

Hell’s Bottom, Colorado

Laura Pritchett

(2001)

Falling Dark

Tim Tharp

(1999)

Tivolem

Victor Rangel-Ribeiro

(1998)

The Tree of Red Stars

Tessa Bridal

(1997)

The Empress of One

Faith Sullivan

(1996)

Confidence of the Heart

David Schweidel

(1995)

Montana 1948

Larry Watson

(1993)

Larabi’s Ox

Tony Ardizzone

(1992)

Aquaboogie

Susan Straight

(1990)

Blue Taxis

Eileen Drew

(1989)

Ganado Red

Susan Lowell

(1988)

Milkweed Editions

FOUNDED IN 1979, MILKWEED EDITIONS IS ONE OF THE largest independent, nonprofit literary publishers in the United States. Milkweed publishes with the intention of making a humane impact on society, in the belief that good writing can transform the human heart and spirit.

Join Us

MILKWEED DEPENDS ON THE GENEROSITY OF FOUNDATIONS and individuals like you, in addition to the sales of its books. In an increasingly consolidated and bottom-line-driven publishing world, your support allows us to select and publish books on the basis of their literary quality and the depth of their message. Please visit our Web site (www.milkweed.org) or contact us at (800) 520-6455 to learn more about our donor program.

Special underwriting for this book was contributed by Joanne and Phil Von Blon.

Milkweed Editions, a nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from Anonymous; Emilie and Henry Buchwald; the Bush Foundation; the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation; the Dougherty Family Foundation; the Ecolab Foundation; the General Mills Foundation; the Claire Giannini Fund; John and Joanne Gordon; William and Jeanne Grandy; the Jerome Foundation; the Lerner Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; Mid-Continent Engineering; a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and private funders; Kelly Morrison and John Willoughby; an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art; the Navarre Corporation; the Starbucks Foundation; the St. Paul Travelers Foundation; Ellen and Sheldon Sturgis; the James R. Thorpe Foundation; the Toro Foundation; Moira and John Turner; United Parcel Service; U.S. Trust Company; Joanne and Phil Von Blon; Kathleen and Bill Wanner; Serene and Christopher Warren; and the W. M. Foundation.

The Milkweed Editions Editor’s Circle

We gratefully acknowledge the patrons of the Milkweed Editions Editor’s Circle for their support of the literary arts.

Kari and Mark Baumbach

Jack and Gretchen Bloch

Valerie Guth Boyd and Geoff Boyd

Bob and Gail Buuck

Tracey and Jeff Breazeale

James Buchta

Emilie and Henry Buchwald

Timothy and Tara Clark

Barbara Coffin and Daniel Engstrom

Margaret Fuller Corneille and

Frantz Corneille

Dick and Suzie Crockett

Ella Crosby

Betsy and Edward Cussler

Betsy Blair David and

Stephen Belsito

DeLCorazón

Katherine D. Doerr

Kathy and Mike Dougherty

Camie and Jack Eugster

Barbara Forster

Robert and Caroline Fullerton

Amy and Philip Goldman

John and Joanne Gordon

William B. and Jeanne Grandy

Hunt Greene and Jane Piccard

John Gulla and Andrea Godbout

Margherita Gale Harris

Joe Hognander

Mary and Gary Holmes

Cretia and Frank Jesse

George R. A. and Emily Johnson

Constance and Daniel Kunin

Jim and Susan Lenfestey

Adam Lerner

Dorothy Kaplan Light and

Ernest Light

Sally L. Macut

Chris and Ann Malecek

Charles Marvin

Sanders and Tasha Marvin

Susan Maxwell

Mary Merrill

Katherine Middlecamp

Daisy Mitchell and Wendy Nelson

Sheila and John Morgan

Chris and Jack Morrison

John Morrison

Kelly Louise Morrison and

John Willoughby

Kitsy and Jeb Morrison

Helen Morrison

Ann and Doug Ness

Nancy and Richard Norman

Kate and Stuart Nielsen

Ruth Anne Olson

Larry O’Shaughnessy

Steven and Linnea Pajor

Karen W. Paulson

Elizabeth Petrangelo and

Michael Lundeby

Karin and Dean Phillips

Jörg and Angie Pierach

Margaret and Dan Preska

Hilary Reeves and Douglas Armato

Deborah Reynolds

Wilson and Juanita Reynolds

Cindy and Bill Schmoker

Cindy and Stephen Snyder

Larry and Joy Steiner

Patrick and Susan Stevens

Barbara Gregg Stuart and

Dr. David D. Stuart

Ellen and Sheldon Sturgis

Tom and Jeanne Sween

Moira and John Turner

Joanne and Phil Von Blon

Winston and Maxine Wallin

Kathleen and Bill Wanner

Serene and Chris Warren

Betsy and David Weyerhauser

Jamie Wilson and David Ericson

Eleanor and Fred Winston

Margaret and Angus Wurtele

Gary and Vicki Wyard

Kathy and Jim Zerwas

Interior design by Ann Sudmeier.

Typeset in Dante MT

by Prism Publishing Center.

Printed on acid-free Rolland Enviro

(100% postconsumer waste)

by Friesens Corporation.

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

© 2007, Text by Matthew Eck

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.

(800) 520-6455

www.milkweed.org

Please turn to the back of the book for a list of the sustaining funders of Milkweed Editions.

The Library of Congress has catalogued the cloth edition of this book as follows:

Eck, Matthew, 1974–

p. cm.

“Milkweed national fiction prize winner.”

eISBN : 978-1-571-31859-6

1. Mogadishu (Somalia)—Fiction. 2. Somalia—History—1991—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3605.C55F37 2007

813’.6—dc22

2007017509

This book is printed on acid-free, recycled

(100% postconsumer waste) paper.