''For Kings and Planets'' is a 1999 novel by

Ethan Canin Ethan Andrew Canin (born July 19, 1960) is an American author, educator, and physician. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while his parents were vacatio ...

Plot

The story centers around the friendship of two college students at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and follows them from their freshman year in 1974 to their adult lives in the late 1990s. Orno is a humble man from Missouri who gains entry to Columbia through his own strong work ethic. Soon after the school year starts, Orno befriends Marshall, a charismatic student from a wealthy

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

family who has a

photographic memory Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

. At first, Orno is in awe of Marshall's abilities, and becomes jealous of him when he uses his talent to gain the attraction of women or easily skate through school. Eventually, Orno's view of Marshall becomes fractured when he learns about his history of mental illness, troubled family life, and many secrets. Marshall soon drops out of college and moves to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to work as a TV writer, and develops an addiction to cocaine. After starting a relationship with Marshall's sister, Simone, it is revealed that many impressive stories Marshall told Orno were fabricated. Orno drifts apart from Marshall, who is suggested to be a pathological liar. The friendship between the two crumbles on the eve of Orno's wedding to Simone, when Marshall invites an old girlfriend of Orno's as an apology for having an affair with her when they were in college, showing that he has become obsessed with the past when Orno has moved on. It is also revealed that Marshall's family is financially destitute despite their attempt to maintain the appearance of wealth. Marshall's father, who shares Marshall's photographic memory and tendency to lie drowns when the family goes out on their boat during a storm. After marrying Simone, Orno finds himself settling for mediocrity, finally realizing that he will never be like Marshall. Eventually, Orno leaves

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with Simone for

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

and finds work as a dentist, a job he finds surprisingly fulfilling. The novel ends with the birth of Orno and Simone's first child, and the two talk fondly about Marshall.

References

1999 American novels American bildungsromans Novels set in Columbia University {{1990s-bildungsroman-stub