How do people respond when the world around them falls apart? I gained some insights during a brief trip up north last week.

The first came on a quiet evening in Petoskey, where bestselling author Leif Enger gave a talk on his latest novel, “I Cheerfully Refuse.”

Enger, who lives in Duluth, tells the story of Rainy, a day laborer who spends his days drifting across Lake Superior in a leaky old boat. The novel includes scenes set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Though the book begins with a love story, the reader comes to suspect, correctly, that the story is unfolding in a dystopian world.

Enger wrote the book during the COVID-19 lockdowns and the subsequent political turmoil, and it’s a dark tale.

“Democracy is no more in America,” said Enger, describing the book’s setting. “Sixteen tr

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