Originally published in 1975, Tim O'Brien's debut novel demonstrates the emotional complexity and enthralling narrative tension that later earned him the National Book Award. At its core is the relationship between two brothers: one who went to Vietnam and one who stayed at home. As the two brothers struggle against an unexpected blizzard in Minnesota's remote north woods, what they discover about themselves and each other will change both of them for ever.

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"The suspense is spellbinding.. . . What puts this tale above countless others is the care and eloquence of Tim O'Brien."
--Chicago Sun-Times

"Northern Lights is a thrilling story . . . which can be read and enjoyed simply as an adventure story, but digs deeper than that."
--Irish Times

"Gripping and convincing. . . . Northern Lights is an impressive         rst novel."
--Times Literary Supplement

"O'Brien writes superbly, he also has a wonderful ear for ordinary American idiom and the ability to         ne-tune its innate rhythms, cadences, and imagery into an authentic popular poetry."
--The Guardian

"Haunting. . . . Survival, courage, and heroes are examined beautifully and simply."
--Publishers Weekly

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Readers Group Companion to Northern Lights

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Tim O'Brien received the 1979 National Book Award in Fiction for Going After Cacciato. His novel The Things They Carried won France's prestigious Prix de Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. His two most recent novels, In the Lake of the Woods and Tomcat in Love, were national bestsellers.

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