Out in the Open

A searing dystopian vision of a young boy's flight through an unnamed, savaged country, searching for sanctuary and redemption--a debut novel from one of Europe's bestselling literary stars.

A young boy has fled his home. He's pursued by dangerous forces. What lies before him is an infinite, arid plain, one he must cross in order to escape those from whom he's fleeing. One night on the road, he meets an old goatherd, a man who lives simply but righteously, and from that moment on, their paths intertwine.

Out in the Open tells the story of this journey through a drought-stricken country ruled by violence. A world where names and dates don't matter, where morals have drained away with the water. In this landscape the boy--not yet a lost cause--has the chance to choose hope and bravery, or to live forever mired in the cycle of violence in which he was raised. Carrasco has masterfully created a high stakes world, a dystopian tale of life and death, right and wrong, terror and salvation.

"This novel's deep theme is a peculiar kind of heroism--that of claiming, in a world stripped to necessity, a human remainder of grace: the choice to bear witness to ideals that are more precious than survival and that exist only in our affirmation of them. Out in the Open is a harrowing, humane, and very beautiful book." Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You

“The writing is austere with flourishes of great beauty from an exceptional translator” The Independent (UK)

“Its rural lexicon enriches a tale told with savage precision, and filled with memorable passages” Times Literary Supplement

“Undeniably impressive and compelling because everything is everywhere so thoroughly and keenly imagined and realised” The Scotsman

“Out in the Open, at its best, asks questions about authority, ownership and power. And it offers much simpler, more direct ways of thinking about these than explicit discussion of la crisis. In the bleak landscape of this book, authority is evil; power is enough food to last the day, plus a gun.” The New Statesman

A searing dystopian vision of a young boy's flight through an unnamed, savaged country, searching for sanctuary and redemption from one of Europe's bestselling literary stars.

A young boy has fled his home. He s pursued by dangerous forces. What lies before him is an infinite, arid plain, one he must cross in order to escape those from whom he s fleeing. One night on the road, he meets an old goatherd, a man who lives simply but righteously, and from that moment on, their paths intertwine.
Out in the Open tells the story of this journey through a drought-stricken country ruled by violence. A world where names and dates don t matter, where morals have drained away with the water. In this landscape the boy not yet a lost cause has the chance to choose hope and bravery, or to live forever mired in the cycle of violence in which he was raised. Carrasco has masterfully created a high stakes world, a dystopian tale of life and death, right and wrong, terror and salvation."

Jesús Carrasco was born in Badajoz, Spain, and now lives in Sevilla. He is the winner of the European Union Prize for Literature 2016 and is an internationally bestselling author. Out in the Open is his debut novel.

Margaret Jull Costa has been translating Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American fiction for over twenty years. She won the translator’s portion of the 1997 IMPAC Award for Javier Marías’ A Heart So White and the 2006 Premio Valle-Inclán for her translation of the first volume of his trilogy Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear.