''Back Roads'' is the 1999 novel by the American writer

Tawni O'Dell Tawni O'Dell (born 1964) is an American novelist. Her first published novel, '' Back Roads'', was selected by Oprah Winfrey for Oprah's Book Club in March 2000. Formative years Born and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania in the United States, O'Del ...

, and was chosen as an

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for view ...

selection in March 2000. Describing her novel and characters during an interview in 2000, O'Dell said:

"I didn't see it as a novel of redemption.... To me, Harley was the hero of this book. He was doing the best he could with what he had.... There'd definitely not be that riding off into the sunset kind of hope."

Plot introduction

Harley Altmyer, a nineteen-year-old, becomes the caregiver for his three sisters when his mother is jailed for killing his abusive father. Living in the

coal town A coal town, also known as a coal camp or patch, is a type of company town or mining community established by the employer, a mining company, which imports workers to the site to work the mineral find. The company develops it and provides reside ...

of Laurel Falls in backwoods

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the Unite ...

and increasingly embittered by the sudden changes in his life, he becomes obsessed with a mother of two who lives down the lane.Back Roads
" ''Publishers Weekly'', November 29, 1999.

Plot summary

While still just a teenager, Harley Altmyer suddenly becomes the head of his family's household when his mother is convicted of killing his abusive father and sent to prison, changing his future from a vision of college life that included drinking beer and chasing girls to one in which he feels trapped in a small, dead-end, coal town-life as a nineteen-year-old forced to work two minimum-wage jobs in order to care for his three younger sisters. After a chance encounter with a beautiful but depressed mother of two who lives nearby, he becomes obsessed with her even as he explores the dynamics of his dysfunctional family with the help of a court-appointed therapist and begins a journey of self-realization and healing.

Film adaptation

In 2011, it was announced that a film adaptation of the book would be directed by

Adrian Lyne Adrian Lyne (born 4 March 1941) is an English film director. Lyne is known for sexually charged narratives that explore conflicting passions, the power of seduction, moral ambiguity, betrayal, and the indelibility of infidelity. In the mid 197 ...

; however, the film never made it into production. In late 2015, it was announced that

Alex Pettyfer Alexander Richard Pettyfer (born 10 April 1990) is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of '' Stormbreaker''. Pettyfer was nominat ...

and his producing partner Craig Robinson, who set up Upturn Productions in 2015 with the intent of securing literary works that could be made into film or television, secured the rights for a film adaptation of the book. The film, '' Back Roads'' went into production in March 2017, with Pettyfer also serving as its director. The film stars Pettyfer as Harley Altmyer,

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Marie Morrison (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series '' ...

as Callie Mercer,

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark plots, themes and settings. Lewis gained prominence in American cinema during t ...

as Bonnie Altmyer,

Nicola Peltz Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress, filmmaker, and billionaire heiress. She is best known for her roles as Katara in the film '' The Last Airbender'' (2010), Bradley Martin in the A&E drama series '' Bates ...

as Amber Altmyer, and

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his ...

as Chief Mansour.

References

{{reflist

External links

Author's website
2000 American novels Novels set in Pennsylvania Viking Press books 2000 debut novels