Behind Picketwire is the book readers are calling “one of the best books I’ve read” and raving, “this book draws you in and doesn’t let go.”
Red Johnson is a cantankerous sixty-eight-year-old man. After suffering a fall, he wakes to find himself alone in the world with no evidence of human existence other than his house and his dog, Jake. Desperate to find a way back to his family and the world he knew, Red journeys across the country in hopes of finding someone, anyone to help him. As he searches the vast wilderness and struggles for survival, he reflects on the life he took for granted. Meanwhile, his own history begins to unfold before him in the form of strange memories and hauntingly vivid dreams. They make him yearn for what he had, and fall in love with his wife all over again. As Red struggles alone through the wilderness, he comes face to face with a hidden family history that completely changes his past...and his future.
We are all on a journey to find meaning, and Behind Picketwire is one man’s struggle through the wilderness to know himself and to finally see his life in stunning clarity.
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Reviews
“Wow! This is one of the best books I have read recently. I felt I was part of Red’s journey back to find his family. This book draws you in and doesn’t let go.”
“This book is phenomenal. It’s rare for me to read a really good and engaging book that doesn’t use immense amounts of action or romance or etc. Following Red through the wilderness of the United States, I felt as if I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with him. Putting the book down to cook dinner or take care of the kids was difficult because I wanted to know what was next. I wanted him to reach his destination. In the end, his ending was appropriate for the story, however I couldn’t help wishing for a different ending for him.”
“I admire the way that the flashbacks are woven so seamlessly and organically into the overall narrative...readers will feel as if they are in good hands with a confident storyteller for this journey.” And further, “It’s the kind of scene, to be quite honest, that will stay with me for years and years.””
INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD
INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD
INDIE B.R.A.G. MEDALLION HONOREE
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Behind Behind Picketwire
It was an accidental meeting in a parking lot in my small town of Paradise, Ca. The old man’s white hair, thick and spikey, matched his neatly trimmed goatee. It caught my attention. No, maybe it was his bright blue eyes and that little-boy smile. His gate was strong and sure. He smiled at me, a total stranger. In that moment, Howard Johnson became my friend. That’s how he was to most everyone.