For a story ostensibly about movement, Aaron Burch’s debut novel Year of the Buffalo lives in the pauses. Brothers Scott and Ernie take a road trip from Scott’s farm in Washington to a promotional event in Michigan for a video game in which Scott is the star. But much of the novel takes place in each brother’s imagination, where time is suspended. Ernie revisits childhood memories. Scott relives his pro-wrestling days. They have opposite motivations for looking backward.
