Spiritual Life and Happiness: Award-Winning Novelist Concludes Book Tour at UAlbany

By Mirai Abe | February 23, 2026

Mark Koplik, the assistant director of the New York Writers Institute (left) and David Guterson (right) in Page Hall on the University at Albany Downtown Campus last Thursday (2/19). Photo Credit: Mirai Abe / The ASP

David Guterson, known for his 1994 bestselling novel, “Snow Falling on Cedars,” concluded his book tour Thursday for his new novel “Evelyn in Transit” at the University at Albany. 

“Evelyn in Transit,” published in January by W.W. Norton & Company, is a crystalline short novel about defying expectations, hitting the road and seeking the right way to live. The novel follows the introspective journey of Evelyn Benarz, a self-conscious, astute and spiritual single mother from Indiana, who hitchhikes across the American West taking odd jobs. 

Guterson has no interest in writing about himself, which led him to create the character Evelyn. 

“Part of the joy and challenge and pleasure of [being a fiction writer] is to imagine your way into the lives of people who are not yourself, who are very much unlike yourself,” Guterson said. 

His first step of creating characters who are unlike himself in every aspect — gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, religious affiliations, where they live or when they live — is deconstruction of itself. He says that the way he makes assumptions about himself and the persona he carries around in the world is a social construct.

“And as soon as I recognize that it was nothing more than a social construct, and it really having nothing to do with me, that I would be someone else completely and entirely, and only had I been born somewhere else in another time,” Guterson said. “Then I can begin the process of attempting to sort of deconstruct myself, and go back to a place and a time where a framework in which that social identity is non-existent.” 

What influenced the book’s narrative was his childhood encounter with a Sakya family that moved to his Seattle neighborhood in the early 1960s. The father was brought by the University of Washington from Tibet as a scholar, and Guterson became friends with his second son, which sparked his interest in and familiarity with their culture. 

“And so I had this sort of intimacy and experience of these matters that led to this book,” Guterson said. "Evelyn in Transit" is partially inspired by the true story of his childhood Tibetan neighbors.   

He also discussed his understanding of Buddhism when asked if he is a Buddhist. He understands Buddhism as an intellectual pursuit or a practical application to one’s own happiness, rather than as a belief system or religion, describing himself as a “Buddhist adjacent.”

The fundamental and central question of his new novel is, “What is a good life?”

“She is a parent, and like all parents, you want the best for your children,” Guterson said, referring to Evelyn’s shocking decision to accept her five-year-old son Cliff as the reincarnated religious figure in Tibet. “And what does the best mean? Does it mean that all sorts of things that are offered in our culture that might be the definition of good life are yours? Or do you have your own personal sense of what a good life might be?”

“There’s some reasons not to live a spiritual life,” he added. “Ultimately, what you want for your child, for yourself is happiness. And maybe following this spiritual path would indeed lead to a happy life.”

A participant of the talk, who frequently attends the New York State Writers Institute events, said she enjoyed the event though she hasn’t read "Evelyn in Transit" yet. “I like different aspects of life, you know, religion or cultural differences,” she said. 

“It sounds really interesting and stuff. It’s about life experience,” another attendee said. “I like [learning about] travel and humanities, different people and different cultures…because we are so narrow minded.” She said she primarily listens to audio books, so attending a book talk like this felt more interesting and engaging than reading a book. 

This event, hosted by the New York State Writers Institute, was Guterson's 23rd and final talk on his tour. 

“Every night, I feel the same way. I feel blessed,” Guterson said. “ I feel moved by the fact that I have this privilege to speak to people who enjoy reading and are interested in my books,”