PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger, 2001.

Set in 1962-63, this is a coming of age story about an asthmatic 11 year old boy. Reuben Land lives with his somewhat unconventional father, his older brother Davy, and younger sister Swede in a small town in Minnesota. His father, a school janitor and deeply religious man, has kept the family together after the mom walked out years before. Davy, a tough and tender 16 year old, protects the younger siblings. Rube's sister is enthralled and fascinated by Western novels and stories, and spend much time writing her own, as well as poetry. When Davy shoots two teenage bullies who have invaded their home and threatened the family, he is arrested and jailed, but escapes and flees to parts unknown during the harsh winter. The rest of the family decides to leave town after the dad loses his job, towing a new Airstream, to search for Davy. They have unusual adventures and meet some interesting people as they ride off into the Bad Lands of the Dakotas. They are eventually taken in by a lone woman, Roxanna, who has personal issues of her own and becomes attached to the family. As the search for Davy intensifies, Rube learns some very hard lessons concerning love and forgiveness.
I found this novel a bit difficult to read, I think mainly because I didn't care for the writing style. Too choppy, abrupt, didn't have a good flow to it for my taste. Enger's descriptions of the winters in that part of the country made me feel cold all the time, and the interactions between Rube and Swede were interesting and often funny. But I just wasn't as involved with any of them as I could have wished. I was interested enough in the story and in the characters enough to read to the end, but it was not a totally satisfying reading experience. It was okay, but I was glad when I was done with it.