Where in the West Do These Books Take Place?
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates novels set in the past or present American West. Even if you don’t know the book, each question offers a hint about the location through history or basic U.S. geography.
To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
1 of 5
In “Valley of Shadows,” a 2022 novel of mystery, magical realism and horror by Rudy Ruiz, Solitario Cisneros sees his life change when the Rio Grande shifts and his Mexican town ends up in the United States. Which U.S. state primarily uses the Rio Grande as its southern border?
2 of 5
First published in 1977, Leslie Marmon Silko’s classic novel “Ceremony” is about a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who returns home to the Laguna Pueblo tribal reservation after his service in World War II. An abandoned uranium mine near Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was detonated, is a key location the book. Where is Trinity Site?
3 of 5
In “Legends of the Fall,” Jim Harrison’s epic novella that was later adapted into a 1994 Brad Pitt film, three brothers leave their ranch in this mountainous Western state and go over the adjacent border with Canada to enlist in the military in 1914, as the United States had not yet joined what would become World War I. Which state did the brothers leave?
4 of 5
In “Wounded,” Percival Everett’s 2005 novel, a Black rancher and horse trainer (with a love of art) confronts intolerance in his community. The book is set in what is nicknamed the “Equality State,” as it was the first in the country to grant women the right to vote in 1869. Which state is it?
5 of 5
C Pam Zhang’s 2020 debut novel, “How Much of These Hills is Gold,” is about two Chinese American children in the 19th-century West. The book’s title evokes an era in which enthusiastic prospectors came to a specific state for a gold rush that began in 1848. Which state is it?