Whatcom READS Selects I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger as its Featured Title for the 2026-2027 Season

 “Enger deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Richard Russo and Thomas McGuane.” — New York Times Book Review

 I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger is Whatcom READS’ 2027 book selection. Javier Zamora, the author of the literary program’s 2026 featured title, Solito: A Memoir, made the announcement at the close of his March 13 Whatcom READS author event at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Wash.

As described on the author’s website, I Cheerfully Refuse is “set in a not-too-distant America and is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. An endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, Rainy seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure and a lawless society.

“Amidst the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty, surprising humor, generous strangers, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake."

“I Cheerfully Refuse epitomizes the ‘musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling’ (Los Angeles Times) for which Leif Enger is cherished. A rollicking narrative in the most evocative of settings, this latest novel is a symphony against despair and a rallying cry for the future.” 

Community members may borrow I Cheerfully Refuse as a book, eBook or eAudiobook from local libraries or purchase it from Village Books, which donates 10% of each sale to Whatcom READS.

The 2027 Whatcom WRITES prompt is “Light in the Dark,” which invites local writers to submit original work for an anthology celebrating the selected title. The inspiration for this year’s prompt is Dr. Martin Luther King’s Strength to Love, in which he writes, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Leading up to the author events in March 2027, the librarians, library staff and booksellers on the Whatcom READS planning committee will develop free community programs that explore themes from I Cheerfully Refuse.        

“We are thrilled to introduce readers to Leif Enger’s powerful book, which reminds us to look for hope even in the darkest moments,” says Claire McElroy with Whatcom READS. “Anyone who has not yet read Leif’s books is in for a treat. His fans — and we know there are many in Bellingham and Whatcom County — will get to dive deeper into his writing through our programs, which will further illuminate I Cheerfully Refuse.”

Visit Whatcom READS website, whatcomreads.org, and social media pages for updates and to get involved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A storyteller “of great humanity and huge heart” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Leif Enger debuted in the literary world with Peace Like a River which sold over a million copies and captured readers’ hearts around the globe. Enger grew up in Osakis, Minn., and worked as a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio before writing Peace Like a River, which won the Booksense Award for Fiction and was named one of the Year's Best Books by Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. His second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome, was also a national bestseller. It was a Midwest Booksellers Honor Book and won the High Plains Book Award for Fiction. His third novel Virgil Wander was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was named a best book of the year by Amazon, Library Journal, Bookpage and Chicago Public Library. He lives with his wife in Duluth, MN.

About Whatcom READS: Northwest Washington’s premier annual literary event, Whatcom READS celebrates reading, readers and strong communities through the shared experience of one book. Now in its 18th season, Whatcom READS is presented by all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County – Bellingham Public Library, Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College and Whatcom County Library System. Village Books is Whatcom READS’ community partner. Learn more at whatcomreads.org.