Set in the fictional town of Port Bonita, on Washington State's rugged Pacific coast, "West of Here" is propelled by a story that both re-creates and celebrates the American experience. Harkening back to the work of such masters of Americana as Bret Harte, Edna Ferber, and Larry McMurtry, "West of Here" is a bold novel by a writer destined to become a major force in American literature. 496 pp. 75,000 print. (General Fiction)