Vlautin's second novel is much like his first. A dazed, drunk, socially maladapted protagonist makes halting efforts to improve a meager life. In NORTHLINE, the protagonist is a woman, and her terrified attempts to escape an abusive boyfriend once again provide a moving, deeply felt melodrama with a sense of the possibility of redemption. Vlautin is a slightly popularized descendant of Raymond Carver and Charles Bukowski, only he's a bit more hopeful. It's a sweet, compulsively readable tale, and one has to applaud Vlautin for his ability to render the inner life of those who seem to have little reason for hope.