Advance praise for A Lesser Light

“Reading this book felt like watching some rare celestial event: sky-big, beautiful and strangely tender, and full of a kind of magic at the edge of things that’s impossible to describe and changes you forever to witness.” —Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You​

“Peter Geye’s A Lesser Light has elemental forces within it, powered by weather, Lake Superior, and the conflicts of religion and the heart in the early parts of the twentieth century. This book has qualities that may remind some readers of the novels of Thomas Hardy: a strong woman who is far from the life of the crowd, a detailed attention to work, and a fascinating cast of major and minor characters. This novel is a great feat of literary imagination.” —Charles Baxter, author of Blood Test

“In this tempest of a novel, Peter Geye has bound together husband and wife on the bleak cliffside of an ill-suited marriage, where wolves howl, shipwrecks haunt, lovers meet in secret, and hope arcs in stardust. I will never forget this achingly beautiful story with its prose that sings through the soul.” —Carol Dunbar, author of The Net Beneath Us

Once again, Peter Geye has gifted us with his literary wizardry. In A Lesser Light, he led me on a time-travel journey that transported me back in time to the landscape of northern Minnesota in 1910 and immersed me in the lives of a deeply troubled couple whose antics kept me gasping at the turn of every page.” —Carolyn Holbrook, author of Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify

In A Lesser Light, Peter Geye paints an unforgettable picture of Minnesota, one in which history leaps to life. This wonderful book presents a completely immersive and absorbing world, masterfully rendered. With tenderness, humor, and deep insight, Geye traces the paths of a community living around and in service to a lighthouse, among them a stern and religious keeper; his prickly, lonely new wife; a local man unexpectedly a guardian to his orphaned niece; and the niece herself, each of them keeping secrets and struggling to face the future. Their choices make for a surprising literary page-turner that—like all good historical fiction—teaches us how to live in the present.” —V.V. Ganeshananthan, author of Brotherless Night

The Ski Jumpers on tour

Independent bookstores are the seat and soul of the literary community, and I'm delighted that I'll be visiting two dozen of them this fall to celebrate and promote The Ski Jumpers. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois, I’m headed your way! I can't wait to see you!

cover coming in hot

I’m so psyched to share the cover for my next book with all of you.

It’s been a real long time since I strapped on boards and flew down an inrun like the chap in this photo. Bringing THE SKI JUMPERS to the world may be the closest I’ll ever come to that heady feeling again!

This is by far my most personal book yet. Don’t worry ski jumping comrades: there’s plenty of flight scenes! But at the heart, it’s also about brothers and family, the hard stuff that keeps us apart, and the reasons big and small to mend the gaps before it’s too late. I can’t wait to share it. Landing September 2022.

Thank you University of Minnesota Press and Casalino Design for the wonderful cover design.  

Pre-order (as always and forever) from your favorite indie.   

Praise for the ski jumpers

"If Geye is Minnesota’s Thoreau, then his Pond is a frozen lake."—Star Tribune

"The strong physicality intrinsic to Peter’s storytelling, along with moving in time, form the scaffolding of this family tale set between Minneapolis and the North Woods. An ideal novel to savor by a fireplace with a warm blanket and hot cup of coffee as the snow beats the windows."—Lake Superior Magazine

"The delicate balance of family dynamics and the unshakable grip that the past holds on the present are center stage in the heartfelt latest from Geye."—Publishers Weekly

"My notion from Ski Jumpers by Peter Geye is that a similar trajectory upward and outward may represent an image that traces this fine novel in its characters and its geography toward a genuine place in UP literature."—UP Book Review

"Geye writes brilliantly about the action of ski jumping and the mix of fear and wonder young athletes encounter. The book makes a worthy read regardless of the season."—Mankato Free Press

"A former ski jumper, Geye has written a story about love and alienation between brothers and their love for their father, a former champion jumper."—Pioneer Press

"Filled with complex family relationships, sacrifices and love, The Ski Jumpers is a heart-wrenching novel that everyone should read."—Northern Wilds

"Lifelong Minneapolis resident Peter Geye has written the perfect novel to help readers get excited about another Wisconsin winter. Geye is a former ski jumper, just like the book’s narrator, and his experience allows descriptions of the sport to soar sky-high."—Isthmus

"If you’re a fan of arresting family dramas with a bit of a twist, complex and provocative characters, breathtaking landscapes wrapped in luminous prose, The Ski Jumpers is your next read."—Superior Reads

"A former ski jumper himself, Peter Geye brings authenticity and exhilaration to those sections of his new novel that concern the sport. "—Minnesota Alumni Magazine

"A wonderful story of two brothers, what joined and divided them, and their reconciliation after the death of their father."—Madison Magazine

The Ski Jumpers is a remarkable story about love: between two brothers, and between a father and son. But it's also about the intense love of place, and a time in three lives when gravity had less hold and a spirit might fly. Peter Geye brilliantly captures the physicality of our connection to a landscape and to the moments when—despite incalculable loss—we bring the best of ourselves.

PETER HELLER, AUTHOR OF THE DOG STARS, THE RIVER, AND THE GUIDE

“Like its ski jumping protagonists, this family saga takes flight with a hammering heart and soars through questions of debt, failure, courage, and reconciliation. It’s both distinctly Minnesotan and hugely humane. . . I was deeply moved.”

KAWAI STRONG WASHBURN, AUTHOR OF SHARKS IN THE TIME OF SAVIORS

Peter Geye writes full-hearted novels made for winter, and The Ski Jumpers is his best to date. I love these stoic Bargaards, whose religion of flight embraces profane saints, secret chambers, and dazzling acts of sacrifice. Geye wraps his tale in prose that soars as we hold our breath, then brings it all home with the elegance of a Telemark landing. If you already know his work, this book will surprise and delight you; if you're new to Peter Geye, The Ski Jumpers is the perfect place to start.

LEIF ENGER, AUTHOR OF VIRGIL WANDER

This elegiac waking dream of a writer and former ski jumper colliding with his own mortality is a timeless, weightless leap into the winter air of memory; with landing will come irreversible loss, and an ending. In Peter Geye’s achingly beautiful story of city and north woods, of complex family relationships and surprising sacrifices and strengths, an appreciative maturity emerges, a wisdom grown from age and experience.

LINDA LEGARDE GROVER, AUTHOR OF IN THE NIGHT OF MEMORY

With great warmth and insight, Peter Geye has crafted a multi-generational epic of a talented family haunted by secrets and mystery. At its heart is the story of two estranged Minnesota brothers, each devastated in different ways by the past and facing uncertain futures, who must now rekindle their bond to save each other. With a family history forged by crime, betrayal, abandonment, and the unalienable thrill and heartbreak of a dangerous sport, the only thing more elusive than victory is forgiveness—and forgiving oneself may be the hardest task of all. Geye's tender, patient storytelling, exhilarating tension, and indelibly Midwestern characters make The Ski Jumpers unforgettable.

J. RYAN STRADAL, AUTHOR OF THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA

Join Peter for the Northernmost (Virtual) Launch Party

After being delayed for months because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Northernmost will finally launch on August 18th. In lieu of the previously scheduled publication party, we’ll be hosting a virtual gathering sponsored by The Loft Literary Center and Magers & Quinn Booksellers.

It’ll be a night of celebration and friendship and fun hosted by the inestimable Steph Opitz. Peter will present his new book, he’ll have a lively conversation with the amazing Curtis Sittenfeld (New York Times bestselling author of many books, including this year’s Rodham, which has taken the world by storm), and he’ll answer your questions. All the while, we’ll be raising money to support The Loft’s Writers of Color class by raffling off books and broadsides. For the most generous donors, we’ll host a special virtual after-party.

So, please click here to sign up and join us on August 18th at 7:00 pm. Can’t wait to “see” you all soon!

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NEW PUBLICATION DATE SET FOR NORTHERNMOST

After being postponed in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Northernmost has a new publication date of August 18th.

Peter is busy working with booksellers and the team at Knopf to schedule a series of virtual events to introduce and celebrate the book, and the website will be updated with details as soon as they are confirmed. He looks forward to seeing you online!

For now, you can pre-order the book here:

Thank you, as always, for your interest and support.

Northernmost Publication and Tour Postponed

It brings me a whole bunch of sadness to announce that not only has the promotional tour for Northernmost been postponed (if you’re a bookseller friend at a store I was planning to visit, you’ll be hearing from us soon), but the publication has been delayed, too. I don’t know the new release date yet, but as soon as the publisher lets me know, I’ll let you know.

A thousand thanks for all the kind support over the last several months as the fun’s built. Hopefully this awful situation will relent soon, and we can get back to saner, more ordinary times. Until then, I hope you and yours are well and safe.

—Peter

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You're invited to the Pub Day Party for NORTHERNMOST!

Friends and neighbors, no doubt you have gathered that my new book will be out on April 14th. I’ll be visiting about thirty bookstores starting the day after. But, on the 14th, I’ll be throwing a launch party at the Parkway Theater in my first love Minneapolis and you’re invited. The event is being hosted by Magers & Quinn Bookstore. And it’s going to be spectacular.

I’ll be joined by very special guests and dear friends Steph Opitz and Curtis Sittenfeld. There’ll be live music (think moody fugues) and special cocktails (think bourbon, think aquavit). We’ll be doing a fundraiser for The Loft Literary Center. And I’ll be presenting my fourth novel, and best (imho): Northernmost. —Peter

I’ll do my damndest to make it a memorable and special occasion. I hope to see you there!

Buy tickets here starting Friday, February 21

Facebook RSVP

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"EXQUISITE" ~ "COMPELLING" ~ "THIS IS WHY I READ" — MORE PRAISE FOR NORTHERNMOST!

My God, what a book. This is why I read, and my question is where has Peter Geye been all my life? Please read this novel. It will freeze and unfreeze you sentence by sentence and leave you at the top of your world.” —Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Northernmost is rich in history, adventure, and love. . . . Geye understands the fine balance between who are born to be and how we birth ourselves across the seasons of our lives. —Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Song Poet

Peter Geye may well be the William Faulkner of the North Country. . . . He will restore your faith in the compelling power of fiction. —William Kent Krueger, author of This Tender Land

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Bookseller praise is starting to arrive . . .

. . . Peter Geye is nothing short of brilliant in his latest book NORTHERNMOST.

. . . If beauty is what you’re looking for, look no further.

. . . Northernmost brings [Geye’s} masterful Minnesota trilogy to a close and earns him a star in the sky as one of the nation’s most powerful writers.

. . . This book will leave an imprint on your heart.

. . . This is a novel I recommend in the highest.


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"A tremendously satisfying family saga"

Advance praise for Northernmost

Northernmost fascinated me with its frozen landscapes and Arctic winters, and it warmed me with the tenderness of its storytelling and humanity of its characters. Peter Geye has written a tremendously satisfying family saga about the tenacity of love amid the unpredictable, ungovernable forces that act on our lives.

Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements and Astonish Me

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"A beautiful, big-hearted, triumphant novel"

Advance praise for Northernmost

We might as well give Peter Geye the Nobel Prize for winter, or declare him the poet laureate of snow. For no other writer so skillfully captures landscapes of glacier and tundra—both their bleakness and their particular beauty. To read him is to feel the ache of a blizzard on your skin. But in Northernmost, he has also given us an exhilarating tale of adventure and love and heartache and faith, a story of overcoming the most trying ordeals imaginable. Partly a tale of heroic survival, partly a meticulously researched history, and partly an epic romance, Northernmost is, most of all, a beautiful, big-hearted, triumphant novel.

Nathan Hill, author of The Nix

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