RaveThe Washington PostA deeply compelling story that is both angrier and larger in scope than its predecessor ... The book’s trenchant social commentary is fortified by plenty (if not, at times, an overabundance) of well-written, hard-boiled action, including a prolonged shootout and a finale in which the norms of due process are cast aside. Indeed, if the novel has a flaw, it is the author’s reliance on this stark, bloody violence to create drama where a more subtle approach might have reaped greater narrative effects ... A Line in the Sand succeeds not because of its outrage or suspense, but because of its brilliantly nuanced depiction of how veterans deal with coming home to a nation that is, in many ways, as treacherous as a war zone.
Richard Powers
MixedThe Times (UK)On this occasion, Powers’s usual balancing act teeters. Although the lives of the Strom children are elegantly rendered, they often lack enough emotional punch to make them truly affecting. Jonah and Ruth often seem to be illustrating historical currents instead of occupying solid human ground. The author’s prose can become overwrought when dealing with them ... Far more rewarding is his parents’ courtship, as they defy hatred, bigotry and even murder ... They are watched by the affectionate but ultimately sceptical eye of the novel’s finest character, Delia’s father, William, who knows that, in an imperfect world, hybrids often turn out to be less than the sum of their parts.
