FICTION

Whiskey When We're Dry

by John Larison
Viking. Aug. 2018. 400p. ISBN 9780735220447. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780735220461. F
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Jessilyn and Noah Harney are raised by their father, Pa, on their small ranch. The short-tempered Pa, a renowned sharpshooter and Civil War veteran, is frequently at odds with Noah. The father-son relationship turns sour, and Noah leaves the family ranch. Pa dies shortly after, leaving 17-year-old Jessilyn to manage the ranch herself. Jessilyn is weighing her options for an early marriage when she discovers that Noah is the Robin Hood-like leader of a band of outlaws, and a wanted man. Having learned how to shoot from Pa, Jessilyn believes she can join Noah's "Wild Bunch." She disguises herself as a man, packs her guns, and sets off to find Noah. Under the freedom of her disguise, Jessilyn embraces the gritty life of a gunman.
VERDICT Told in Jessilyn's hard-hitting voice, this latest from Larison (Northwest of Normal; Holding Lies) has the resonance of a high lonesome ballad. The characters echo legends of the American West, and the scenes of frontier violence are immediate and vivid. For readers of Amanda Coplin's The Orchardist and Courtney Collin's The Untold.
Reviewed by Emily Hamstra, Seattle , Jun 15, 2018
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