[1] The story recounts the life of Håkan, a Swedish emigrant who is separated from his brother on their journey to the United States in the mid-19th century.

Penniless, Håkan travels across the American West, sometimes in very harsh conditions, with the goal of finding his brother in New York City.

[3] Diaz was drawn to the Western genre as he thought it had not "[fulfilled] its promise or potential".

[1] Carys Davies, for The Guardian, referred to the novel as a "thrilling narrative, full of twists and turns".

[2] Catherine Taylor, for the Financial Times, praised In the Distance as an "extraordinary epic tale".