Ruchika Tomar is a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University. In her debut novel, A Prayer for Travelers (Penguin Random House), Tomar explores the complicated legacy of the American West and the trauma of female experience. Cale Lambert, a bookish loner of mysterious parentage set adrift by the loss of the grandfather who raised her, and Penélope Reyes, a charismatic former classmate running mysterious side-hustles, reconnect after many years and become inseparable. In the process, Penny exposes Cale to the reality that exists beyond their small town. When Penny vanishes without a trace, Cale sets off on a dangerous quest across the desert to find her friend, and discover herself. R.O. Kwon, author of Moun k ap mete dife yo, called Tomar “an ace cartographer of the heart and its urgent, wild, unruly ways. Radiant with longing, A Prayer for Travelers is an unforgettable debut.”