Utah’s diverse landscape and rich history have long been a source of inspiration for authors that seek to transport readers to the American West with all its legend, beauty, and complexity.
Here is a selection of novels set in the Beehive State, each one offering a different perspective on life in Utah.
Delving into the unique world of southern Utah’s early Mormon settlers, “The Giant Joshua” stands as a significant work of Western American literature.
Published in 1941, Maurine Whipple’s tome unfurls the story of Clory and her husband, who are among the first settlers in the then-remote region of St. George, Utah.
The novel paints a vivid portrait of the community and the hardships faced by these pioneers as they struggle against the elements to establish new lives.
Whipple deftly explores themes of love, faith, and endurance, bringing a woman’s perspective to the frontiers of the American mythos.
Perhaps one of the most famous novels capturing the spirit of the American West, Zane Grey’s “Riders of the Purple Sage” is a canonical text of Western literature.
Published in 1912, the novel has become synonymous with the genre and was one of the first to garner critical acclaim for both Grey and Western fiction.
Set in the canyons of Utah, the story features the saga of Jane Withersteen and her battle to protect her ranch from persecution at the hands of other ranchers and polygamous Mormons.
With the enigmatic gunman Lassiter by her side, Jane embarks on a quest for justice, setting the stage for a classic showdown.
Taking a significant departure from the Western genre, Julie Otsuka’s “When the Emperor Was Divine” tells a haunting tale of a Japanese American family’s experience during World War II.
Set against the stark backdrop of the Utah desert, the novel unfolds as the family is uprooted from their California home and sent to an internment camp in Utah.
Otsuka’s narrative is a poignant and sharp reflection on identity, loss, and the haunting impact of wartime injustice.
Published in 2002, this novel captures an often-overlooked chapter of American history.
Continuing the environmentalist themes of his esteemed work “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” Edward Abbey’s “Hayduke Lives!” is both a celebration of the Utah wilderness and a manifesto against its destruction.
George Hayduke, presumed dead at the end of Abbey’s previous novel, returns to lead a motley crew of activists in a fight against a major development project threatening the untouched desert landscape.
Abbey’s wit and passionate prose animate this 1990 work, which doubles as a rallying cry for conservationism and reverence for the natural beauty unique to Utah.
Not all tales of Utah need to be steeped in the grandiosity of adult struggles or the darkness of historical wrongs.
John D. Fitzgerald’s “The Great Brain” series, set in the late 19th-century fictional town of Adenville, offers a playful and nostalgic look at childhood in rural Utah.
The stories are centered around the shenanigans of Tom, the middle child with a “great brain” for hatching schemes and getting out of scrapes.
Through Fitzgerald’s lens, readers young and old can relish the simpler times and joys of growing up in the American West.
In a twist of genres, Sarah Gailey’s “Upright Women Wanted” brings together a futuristic dystopia with the sensibilities of a Western adventure.
As queer librarians traverse the Utah landscape to distribute approved literature in a future American Southwest, the novel delves into themes of resistance, identity, and the power of knowledge.
Gailey’s 2020 publication showcases Utah as a resilient and enduring backdrop, even in a world starkly different from our own.
Each novel offers a window into the varied experiences and tales that the land of Utah has fostered.
The state’s red rock canyons, sprawling plateaus, and rugged mountains continue to provide a rich canvas on which writers can explore the depths of human experiences.
Whether readers are looking for a slice of history, environmental advocacy, childhood escapades, or futuristic exploits, Utah’s literary landscape is as varied and vibrant as the state itself.