[1] The book has been cited in a number of academic articles and text-books in the fields of philosophy, psychology,[2] and law.

Kin was subsequently picked up for publication by Random House, a major publisher, and has remained in print for over 30 years.

After murdering a lover, and crashing his car while fleeing the scene of the crime, a ruthlessly "successful" man is transported to an unknown island (called Ata) whose location is never revealed, the implication being that it doesn't physically exist in our world.

Initially in conflict with their ways, the unnamed protagonist, according to Bryant, "is dragged kicking and screaming to his own salvation."

Spider Robinson praised the novel as "a deeply spiritually rewarding book" featuring "some of the cleanest, sparest, simplest prose I've seen all year.