Rule of the Bone

In the tradition *Huckleberry Finn *and *The Catcher in the Rye*, Russell Banks’s quintessential novel of a disaffected homeless youth living on the edge of society “redefines the young modern anti-hero. . . . *Rule of the Bone* has its own culture and language, and Bone is sure to become a beloved character for generations” (*San Francisco Chronicle*). With a compelling, off-beat protagonist evocative of Holden Caulfield and Quentin Coldwater, and a narrative voice that masterfully and naturally captures the nuances of a modern vernacular, Banks’s haunting and powerful novel is an indisputable—and unforgettable—modern classic.