A New Dawn at Libby Flats: The longest journeys lead back to yourself

"A New Dawn at Libby Flats" (396 pages) by Alan O'Hashi follows Elizabeth Steiner on a 2006 road trip from New Orleans to Boulder to reconcile with her dying mother, Becca. At Becca's funeral, Elizabeth realizes she must resolve the differences between her father, Gary, and his estranged university friends, Jack and Avery, as they reunite after 38 years to fulfill a long-forgotten pact. This coming-of-age story explores themes of love, identity, rebellion, and the enduring power of friendship as the characters navigate their shared history and rediscover old bonds.

The story is a captivating tale of a love triangle, conflicts around race and gender identity, youthful rebellion, and the enduring power of friendship. In the 1960s, Becca Pembroke travels for a summer job on the Quiver Mountain Ranch near Lander, Wyoming, fleeing her stodgy New Jersey lifestyle, including wealthy and egotistical Jack Middleton, whom her mother thinks is Becca's perfect match.

While in Wyoming, she befriends Gary, the ranch owner's son, who is more interested in fighting in the Vietnam War than pursuing girls. The two work with another hand, Avery Meadows, from Jackson.

Becca establishes in-state residency and studies anthropology at the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie to pursue a lifelong interest in returning ceremonial artifacts to Native American tribes. This leads to significant personal revelations that affect her family.

Avery joins her at UW as a wildlife management major. They reunite with Gary upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy. He enrolls at UW to study journalism rather than returning home to manage his family ranch.

Becca's mother cajoles Jack into transferring from Princeton University to UW. His mission is to rescue Becca from the free-spirited Wild West. She shows more interest in Gary, causing a big rift with Jack, in which Avery constantly mediates. Becca creates a Pact among herself and her three acquaintances to keep the peace until a big blow-up between Jack and Gary estranges the group.

Gary and Becca eventually get married and have a daughter named Elizabeth. Thirty-eight years later, in 2006, Becca passed away at the Blue Sky Village cohousing community in Boulder, Colorado. Elizabeth reluctantly returns home to Boulder for her mother's funeral.

Through the eyes of Elizabeth, Gary, Avery, and Jack, fulfill Becca's Pact at Libby Flats near Laramie by navigating their individual origin stories and memories of their lives, including their shared time in Wyoming interwoven with their reunion in Boulder.