It is loosely based on events in the life of Aaron Bassler, who, like Adam Stensen in the novel, was the subject of a manhunt in Mendocino County, California for 36 days in 2011.

The story begins with Sten, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, killing a mugger while on a vacation cruise in Puerto Limón, Costa Rica.

The story then moves to California, where Sten is unable to understand or help his schizophrenic son Adam, who considers himself a "mountain man" modeled on his hero John Colter.

[3] Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times called The Harder They Come "stunning" and "a masterly — and arresting — piece of storytelling, arguably Mr. Boyle’s most powerful, kinetic novel yet".

[4] Kakutani continues, The Harder They Come reaffirms Boyle's "fascination with characters who pit themselves against their neighbors, the system and nature; freedom as both a founding principle of America — and an invitation to rebellion and self-indulgence; and the dark fallout of ideological certainty and obsession.