Set in a near-future America, I Cheerfully Refuse follows Rainy, an endearing and Orphean musician. Grieving and pursued, Rainy embarks on a journey across a sentient Lake Superior in a sailboat, searching for his beloved bookselling wife who has departed. As he navigates the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea, Rainy encounters perilous storms and unsettling phenomena, including corpses rising from the warming depths. On land, he finds a society in decline: increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malevolent billionaire ruling class, crumbling infrastructure, and pervasive lawlessness.
Despite the numerous “Gulliver-like” challenges of life at sea and the absence of safe havens, Rainy finds solace in the physical beauty around him, unexpected humor, and the kindness of strangers. His journey takes an unforeseen turn with the arrival of a young girl who comes aboard as his companion. As Rainy’s inherently guileless nature inadvertently transforms him into a rebel, his personal quest for the love of his life evolves into something far more expansive and untamed, drawing both friends and adversaries into its powerful current.
I Cheerfully Refuse exemplifies the “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling” that has earned Leif Enger widespread admiration, as noted by the Los Angeles Times. This latest novel is described as a rollicking narrative set in a highly evocative landscape, ultimately serving as a symphony against despair and a compelling call to action for the future.