Synopses & Reviews
Deep in the north woods of Minnesota, Paul Two Persons is struggling to keep his resort lodge afloat. He has lent money to his childhood friend, Al, and needs it back fast before the bank forecloses on his business.
When Al turns up missing -- and then dead of an apparent suicide -- Paul is propelled into a labyrinth of intrigue that leads to some ugly discoveries. There is corruption within his own Tribal Council, developers' plans for the land that Paul has fought so hard to keep, and the "accidental death" of his eight-year-old son that now seems something more sinister.
Haunted by these demons, growing increasingly distant from his grieving wife, and facing the very real threat of losing his livelihood, Paul feels he has become what the Chippewa call a tchibai -- a walking shadow. Attempts are made on his life, the lodge is nearly burned to the ground, and people on the reservation behave oddly in his presence.
The escalating circumstances of one summer -- and Paul's determination to survive them -- reveal the indomitable spirit that is his Chippewa heritage. Set in the breathtaking landscape of northwestern Minnesota, Don't Think Twice is a haunting and memorable story about a man's struggle when pushed to the edge.
Review
Kirkus Reviews (starred review) An audacious debut...Johnson deftly mixes the componenets of a thriller with a complex character study, and Paul is a difficult, tormented figure, but also a compelling one. The language, while terse, is exact and vigourous...An original, wonderfully assured, and powerful work.
Review
The New York Times Book Review By turns wily, sad, violent, somber, and hopeful....Johnson's sentences shimmer, dip, swoop, and stretch. He has a fine eye for impressionistic detail....
Review
The Kansas City Star This novel crosses boundaries of cultures and also of literary genres. Although this is a murder mystery, the polish of the language, the pacing, and the characters make a fine literary fiction....Johnson's terse descriptions are as poetic as the best of Raymon Chandler.
Review
The Kansas City StarThis novel crosses boundaries of cultures and also of literary genres. Although this is a murder mystery, the polish of the language, the pacing, and the characters make a fine literary fiction....Johnson's terse descriptions are as poetic as the best of Raymon Chandler.
Review
Library Journal Johnson has written a book that manages to make the wide, airy spaces of the Land of a Thousand Lakes feel claustrophobic with tension...He gives the reader a brilliant sense of place, even as the plot tightens a noose of anxiety.
Review
Madison Smartt Bell author of All Souls' Rising A cunningly crafted thriller...More than that, it's an insightful, realistic portrait of the world of American Indians today.
Synopsis
Deep in the north woods of Minnesota, Paul Two Persons is struggling to keep his resort lodge afloat. He has lent money to his childhood friend, Al, and needs it back fast before the bank forecloses on his business.
When Al turns up missing -- and then dead of an apparent suicide -- Paul is propelled into a labyrinth of intrigue that leads to some ugly discoveries. There is corruption within his own Tribal Council, developers' plans for the land that Paul has fought so hard to keep, and the "accidental death" of his eight-year-old son that now seems something more sinister.
Haunted by these demons, growing increasingly distant from his grieving wife, and facing the very real threat of losing his livelihood, Paul feels he has become what the Chippewa call a tchibai -- a walking shadow. Attempts are made on his life, the lodge is nearly burned to the ground, and people on the reservation behave oddly in his presence.
The escalating circumstances of one summer -- and Paul's determination to survive them -- reveal the indomitable spirit that is his Chippewa heritage. Set in the breathtaking landscape of northwestern Minnesota, Don't Think Twice is a haunting and memorable story about a man's struggle when pushed to the edge.
Synopsis
Paul Two Persons owns a resort lodge nestled within the breathtaking landscape of Northwestern Minnesota, not far from the reservation where he was raised. But this treasured land that Paul fought the Tribal Counsel and U.S. government for years to control is slipping away, and his next bank payment lurks ominously. Paul's desperate strait could have been avoided...if only he hadn't made a sizable loan to his childhood friend Al.
When Al dies of an apparent suicide, Paul's doom seems unavoidable. Haunted by demons from the past, growing increasingly distant from his wife, facing foreclosure on the lodge, he has become a tchibai, a walking shadow. Yet nagging suspicions about Al's suicide penetrate his inertia...and as Paul begins to investigate his death, he is drawn into a web of deceit which calls into question his own identity, and the long history of his people.
About the Author
Wayne Johnson is the acclaimed author of White Heat and four novels. He has been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and held a Chesterfield Film Project Fellowship in Hollywood. A long-time faculty member at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, he also teaches screenwriting at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Wayne has lived, breathed, and dreamed bikes since he was just a kid craving the freedom of the open road. He currently rides a Ducati ST-4.