Staff Pick
A wonderful and unusual coming-of-age story, The Alaskan Laundry follows Tara as she abruptly flees her home following her mother's death, an impasse with her father, and uneasiness in her romantic relationship. As Tara works her way through the Alaskan fishing industry, she questions her faith in herself and in her ability to obtain the thing she desperately wants — a home. A mixture of seafaring adventures, hardscrabble life, and the utter loneliness of Alaska, thousands of miles from her hometown, leads Tara to dig deep into her own sense of self and discover what lies beneath the facade she shows the world. Lovely. (No laundromats!) Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Tara Marconi has made her way to “The Rock,” a remote island in Alaska governed by the seasons and the demands of the world of commercial fishing. She hasn’t felt at home in a long while—her mother’s death left her unmoored and created a seemingly insurmountable rift between her and her father. But in the majestic, mysterious, and tough boundary-lands of Alaska she begins to work her way up the fishing ladder—from hatchery assistant all the way to King crabber. She learned discipline from years as a young boxer in Philly, but here she learns anew what it means to work, to connect, and—in buying and fixing up an old tugboat—how to make a home she knows is her own.
A beautiful evocation of a place that can’t help but change us and a testament to the unshakable lure of home, The Alaskan Laundry also offers an unforgettable story of one woman’s journey from isolation back to the possibility of love.
Review
"This novel is a rarity — a gripping, straight-forward, old-fashioned novel about coming of age (a woman, no less) in Alaska. It is reminiscent of the best of Wallace Stegner." Richard Ford
Review
"This book will pick you up from wherever you are and transport you to Sitka, Alaska; drop you in the hurl of its waves, winds, and weather; educate you in its secret language and slant codes of conduct; introduce you to a cast of characters you don't meet anywhere but the Great North. More importantly, maybe, it will re-convince you of the power of wilderness to heal a human heart." Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted, Cowboys Are My Weakness, and others
Review
"The compelling tale of a woman's journey from hopeless anger to genuine empowerment, made richer by its immersion in the world of commercial fishing." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Brendan Jones lives on a tugboat in Alaska and works in commercial fishing. A Stegner Fellow, he received his B.A. and M.A. from Oxford University, where he boxed for the Blues team. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Ploughshares, Popular Woodworking, the Huffington Post, and on NPR.