By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Books & Books brings an evening of literary reflection to Coral Gables on Tuesday, Nov. 25, when Florida Atlantic University professor Andrew Furman appears at 265 Aragon Avenue to discuss his new novel The World That We Are. The event begins at 7 p.m., remains free to the public, and continues the bookstore’s long tradition of elevating writers whose work explores the layered ties between personal history, community, and the natural world.
Furman’s book arrives with an impressive critical chorus. Reviewers describe The World That We Are as an imaginative bridge between two centuries, anchored in the formative years of Henry David Thoreau and the contemporary reckoning of David Hertzog, a Thoreau scholar confronting the fault lines that run through his own family. Regal House Publishing released the novel on Nov. 18, and the Coral Gables appearance marks one of its earliest public conversations.
A story woven across two timelines
The World That We Are alternates between 1837 Concord, Mass., and present-day Maine. In the historical thread, a young Henry David Thoreau struggles to chart a purposeful life. He seeks steady work as a teacher, labors to locate his voice as a writer, and attempts to form deep connections while facing the “family disease” that shadows his health. His search for meaning sharpens when a new woman in town stirs a love triangle between Thoreau and his brother, pushing emotional tensions to a decisive point.
The modern storyline follows David Hertzog, a retired Thoreau scholar whose routines in the Maine woods have become his only reliable source of calm. When his estranged daughter unexpectedly returns, Hertzog must confront the grief, distance, and choices that shaped their separation. Reviewers note how Furman uses this dual structure to explore love, responsibility, and the human desire for grounding in a world that rarely stops spinning.
The novel’s unifying question — what does it mean to live a good life? — reflects ideas that have animated American literature since the 19th century. Early reviewers praise the book for its tender portrayal of Thoreau as a human being rather than an icon and for its nuanced attention to the relationships that shape an interior world.
A writer rooted in the Florida landscape
Furman brings a long record of environmental and literary writing to this new work. A professor of English at FAU and a member of its MFA faculty, he has published fiction, essays, and memoirs in Prairie Schooner, Oxford American, Grist, The Southern Review, Ecotone, and other national journals. His books include Jewfish, Goldens Are Here, Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair with Florida, and Of Slash Pines and Manatees, a 2025 field-guide memoir rooted in the ecosystems of suburban South Florida.
That background shapes the sensory detail in The World That We Are. Readers and critics highlight how the landscape becomes a full participant in the narrative — the Concord woods, the Maine shoreline, the rhythms of ponds and forests. Several reviews describe the novel as a meditation on the “peculiar intelligence” of the natural world and its ability to guide characters toward clarity.
The Coral Gables appearance offers a rare chance to hear Furman discuss how he researched Thoreau’s journals, how he shaped the parallel arcs, and how his own environmental writing informed the novel’s voice. The bookstore expects a turnout that includes readers of historical fiction, environmental literature, and intergenerational family stories.
Praise from across the literary world
Advance praise for the book positions it as one of Furman’s most ambitious works. Writers describe the novel as “a triumph of research and imagination,” “a generous portrait of friendship and fathership,” and “a luminous meditation on the interplay between aspiration and responsibility.” Others emphasize the book’s careful structure, noting how its twin narratives speak to each other across time without relying on sentimentality.
Reviewers also focus on Furman’s precise prose style. Several highlight the pleasure of reading sentences that echo Thoreau’s cadence without mimicking it. Many describe an emotional depth that emerges not from dramatic turns but from the steady layering of interior life, memory, and place.
Furman’s dual protagonists — the young Thoreau seeking a path and the aging Hertzog seeking repair — meet in their shared desire to understand how love, community, and the natural world can shape purpose. This theme aligns with Books & Books’ broader programming this fall, which has included author visits, historical talks, and environmental readings that invite reflection on personal and civic identity.
An evening designed for conversation
Books & Books keeps the format simple: free admission, seating on a first-come basis, and books available for purchase on site. Those who cannot attend may order copies online through the store. Events in this series often blend reading, discussion, and audience Q&A, giving visitors a direct window into how authors build their work.
For a community deeply connected to literature, history, and the sense of place, Furman’s appearance promises a thoughtful and timely evening. His novel invites readers to consider the ties between past and present and to examine the values that anchor a life. As the holiday season approaches, The World That We Are offers a reminder that family, connection, and purpose remain enduring themes across generations.
Event details
Event: An Evening with Andrew Furman
Book: The World That We Are (Regal House Publishing, $20.95)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue
Tickets: Free
Books: Available for purchase at the event or online
