Synopses & Reviews
With Holding Lies, John Larison takes us deep into a thriving subculture of the Northwest, one born of the ferns and firs, rain and hot-springs, firebombs and whitewater. He takes us even deeper into the troubles of Hank Hazelton, a fifty-nine-year-old river guide, as he struggles to reconnect with his only daughter after a fourteen-year estrangement. His failure as a father haunts him, along with other deep regrets, tragedies, and longings.
In the days before his daughter’s arrival, Hank discovers a drift boat stranded below a rapid, empty except for a long smear of blood on its seat. Search and Rescue fails to discover the owner, and within days the sheriff has begun a murder investigation, which, to Hank, appears to be more about old grudges than objective evidence. When Hank himself becomes a suspect, he begins his own search—one that will lead him deep into the violent past of his home valley.
In a novel about fathers and daughters, friends and mentors, sins ancient and repeated, Larison illuminates our commitments to those who’ve come before and those who’ll come after. Holding Lies is a taut, big-hearted novel. It brings to life a tapestry of community sustained by the river, with the steelhead at its core. Steeped in the ecology of place and peopled with unforgettable characters, Larison creates a world we will want to return to again and again.
Synopsis
A fresh new voice in fiction, one steeped in tradition, stirred by devotion, and struck by tragedy.
Synopsis
With Holding Lies, John Larison takes us deep into a thriving subculture of the Northwest, one born of ferns and firs, rain and hot-springs, salmon and whitewater. He takes us even deeper into the troubles of Hank Hazelton, a fifty-nine-year-old river guide, as he struggles to reconnect with his daughter after a long estrangement. Before his daughters arrival, Hank discovers a drift boat stranded below a rapid, its oarsman missing. Within days, the sheriff has opened a murder investigation, one that to Hank appears more about old grudges than objective evidence. When Hank himself becomes a suspect, hes forced to confront the violent past of his home valleyand his own culpability. In a novel about finding family in unlikely places, Larison breathes life into a community rich with history, sin, and hope, a place where bears still wander side streets and time is still marked by the seasons of the river. Holding Lies is a taut, big-hearted novel, steeped in the ecology of place and peopled with unforgettable characters.
About the Author
John Larison is a river steward for the Native Fish Society and teaches at Oregon State University. His first novel, Northwest of Normal, was heralded by the Denver Post as a “first-rate addition to the novels of the West.” His newest, Holding Lies, is his third book and his second novel. His articles regularly appear in Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod and Reel, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and other publications. He lives with his wife Ellie Rose and their daughters in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in Corvallis.
John Larison on PowellsBooks.Blog
Early in my writing life, I made ends meet by rowing drift boats and rafts down Oregon’s whitewater rivers. My early gigs were low-paying and low stress: I would shuttle camp supplies downstream while the outfitter and clients fly-fished. After a season without a mishap, I traded camp supplies for real live anglers, which meant more headaches but also bigger tips...
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