Watch Willy Vlautin and Andrew J. Graff on Door to Door!
Watch on : https://youtu.be/NnPeG3-Q6po
Hello librarians!
We hope you'll watch the replay of our Door to Door with Willy Vlautin, author of The Night Always Comes and Andrew J. Graff, author of Raft of Stars, which took place on Tuesday, January 12th.
If you've followed Library Love Fest over the years, then you know we're HUGE fans of Willy Vlautin's work, whether it's The Motel Life, Northline, Lean on Pete, The Free, or his most recent novel Don't Skip Out on Me, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and an ALA Notable Book. As Ann Patchett stated, "The straightforward beauty of Vlautin’s writing, and the tender care he shows his characters, turns a story of struggle into indispensable reading."
Truly, Willy Vlautin's combination of beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and a tender eye for the stories of people struggling to persevere in a world in which they're rarely seen results in heart-wrenching and redemptive reads that earned Willy praise from Ursula K. Le Guin, who compared him to an "unsentimental Steinbeck, a heartbroken Haruf."
In his upcoming book The Night Always Comes, Willy Vlautin confronts many of the anxieties of our changing world, including working-class greed, class division, home ownership, and mental health. Set in contemporary Portland, Oregon, the novel takes place over the course of two days and two nights and follows a young woman on a desperate quest to collect enough funds to put a down payment on her family's long-time home before it's too late.
The book has received enormous early praise:
"… 'You never give up and you've got a good heart, a damaged heart, but a good heart.’ We concur, of course, and race to the end to see if good hearts can maybe, just this once, make a difference. With Vlautin, you never know for sure."
—Bill Ott, Booklist ⭐ review
"The story resonates, with characters we come to feel we know and dialog that is so natural we hear it, not just read it….This is literary art that will keep readers in their seats until the last page."
—Library Journal ⭐ review
"This gritty page-turner sings with pitch-perfect prose, and Lynette’s desperation is palpable. Vlautin has achieved a brilliant synthesis of Raymond Carver and Jim Thompson."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review
"I finished reading this novel dripping with admiration for Willy Vlautin and the tough wonder he has brought forth. The Night Always Comes hits the high-water mark; there is skillful and beautiful objectivity to the writing, characters so real that when they bleed you get a few drops on your sleeve, and a story of economic want and desperation and heart."
—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone and The Maid’s Version
Another incredible aspect to Willy Vlautin's literary work is how closely connected it is to his life as a musician. The founding member of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines, Willy has often talked about his novels beginning as songs, and growing from there.
We are very excited to share one of the songs from the upcoming The Night Always Comesbook soundtrack that Willy wrote and recorded with his band The Delines, titled "Lynette's Lament." Click below to listen!
To learn more about Willy's thoughts on the connection between his music and his writing, check out the short clip below from our interview in 2018 on the publication day of Don't Skip Out on Me:
This was a very special interview, which Willy capped off spectacularly by playing the titular song "Don't Skip Out on Me." You can watch his performance below!
The full book soundtrack for Don't Skip Out on Me is available on Spotify. Click below to listen! You can also read Willy's notes on the soundtrack here.
It was a joy to talk to Andrew J. Graff, whose debut novel Raft of Stars publishes in March. This novel about two hardscrabble young boys who think they’ve committed a crime and flee into the Northwoods of Wisconsin is filled with heart and with a poised, clear-eyed consideration of a town and a people who've fallen on hard times.
The timelessness and hope of this novel immediately swept through the HarperCollins Publishers sales staff when we first read it. We even selected it as our Lead Read pick for Winter 2021! If you're unfamiliar with the Lead Read program, every season the HarperCollins sales staff votes for one special title we think has a chance for both critical and commercial success. Past picks include News of the World by Paulette Jiles, November Road by Lou Berney, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, and Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey. Just as these works were welcomed and beloved by the library community, we think Raft of Stars will also be an instant classic and a cherished title in library circulations for a long time to come.
You can check out a sample of the early praise below!
"The characters are expertly drawn in their shifting relationships, and the two boys’ closeness and bravery are especially affecting…. facing the life issues examined here in an unforgiving if beautifully rendered wilderness is no easy feat…. Highly recommended, whether you want literate thrills or thoughtful, affirming meditation."
—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal ⭐ review
"In ruggedly beautiful prose, and with a deep affection for his damaged, but always loveable characters, Graff delivers a novel with real heart and soul. An authentic look into the heartland of America, into one-parent households, where mothers and grandparents are supporting the next generation while fathers are either absentee, or should be. Like a barrel going over a waterfalls, Raft of Stars sweeps its reader downstream, and fast. Hold on for the ride."
—Nickolas Butler, author of Little Faith
There is so much to love about this novel, whether it be "Bread" and "Fish", the two young boys at the heart of the story, the resounding sense of hope in the book's pages, or the absorbing sense of place that immediately sweeps the reader away. Below, you can watch a short video Andrew J. Graff recorded, where he shows us one of the locations that inspired the book!
Be sure to watch the replay of this must-see conversation with two talented, heart-filled authors!
-The LLF Team
Hello librarians! 
![Rose Carlyle.jpg[91] copy](https://s48612.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/6a0105368f4fef970b026be41e8fc5200d-500wi.jpg "Rose Carlyle.jpg[91] copy")
