Holding Lies

by John Larison

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 daughter’s 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, he’s forced to confront the violent past of his home valley—and 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.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

JOHN L A R I SON spent much of
his childhood in remote regions of Australia,
the Caribbean, Canada, the South Pacific,
Alaska, and the American West before graduating
from high school in Ithaca, New York. He
studied philosophy and literature at the University
of Oregon, and became a renowned flyfishing
guide ahead of earning an MFA from
Oregon State University, where he stayed to
teach while writing Whiskey When We’re Dry.
He lives with his family on a small farm in rural Oregon, where he is at work on his next novel.

Reviews

[Sarah Nurse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I started, thinking 'not for me'. How wrong! It's a beautiful book. It tells the story of a small community of river guides, on a wild salmon river. They're tough people, but their lives seem immensely rich. There's a strong spiritual element in the form of the river, and the salmon.
You do not have to be an angler to appreciate it - the technical matters of fishing such a place are not overdone, and you can read them, accept them and learn a little. I wonder if you have to be a country dweller? Maybe. A lot of it resonated with me (I moved away from towns to the country years ago). It's a place where the residents are happy to use the internet, but where the vibrating of a Blackberry can be a gross intrusion.
The people - men and women - are tough. Those who are not, soon leave. Newcomers, who try to change things too quickly, make themselves unpopular, and either adapt or leave (or in one case, die - was it an accident?) Meanwhile, the longtime residents struggle against the encroachment of modern life, which will come and which will destroy this way of life forever.
I read this book greedily, always keen to get back to it. I was left wondering how long the people held on to what they've got. A wonderful thought-provoking book. Spiritual. Like these people's lives.

[Tino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story. 4 stars.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a writing teacher I've had many times at OSU. He's helped me immensely with my own writing, and I greatly enjoyed his novel!

[Ohenrypacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

WWWD is one of my favorite recent reads, and a helluva western. Larison is a talented writer and I enjoyed Holding Lies. I hardly put it down, but I didn't love it. Hank's a bit of a MarySue, and Caroline is a mature version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (that Riffle is as well). Mix that with the bullshit Libertarian ethical gatekeeping among the Steelheaders and it dilutes what could have been ...well, what could have been. Hopefully Larison has flushed his wish-fulfillment fantasies with this one so his future storytelling can be focused on what he does best.

Q: 4
E: 3
I: 1
qxe +i = 13

[Dana Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2stars!!! I loved this book: the storyline, characters, relationships and beautifully described setting made it feel as if was there. Add to that the wealth of well-researched information about the salmon plight & the precariousness of nature & what some live to preserve....just beautiful
I got this from library immediately after reading Whiskey When We’re Dry (also fantastic), i was NOT disappointed!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after loving!! Whiskey When We're Dry. Holding Lies was ok but was not my cup of tea. It's about a dad reconnecting with his estranged daughter, with a murder mystery playing out in the background.

As always, Larison knows how to write about land!

PS If you're a fly fishing devotee, this is a must-read.

[Amanda M Durr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this one down. Hard to put my finger on exactly what it was, but I was drawn by the characters, and the incredible details about the river they live on. I appreciated all of the environmental wisdom, and the descriptions of food... the plot itself was ok, but the setting was simply dreamy.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling story of a father and daughter trying to reconnect after 14 years apart.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a book that takes me someplace I don't know and shows me around inside the lives of people who live differently than I do. I came to this book with no expectations and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's about a man at late midlife who lives on and lives for a river in Oregon. He's a fly-fishing guide and has been one for many years. This book is about his challenges and regrets and continuing efforts to live his best and to put right the times that he didn't. It made me really want to go fly-fishing, and I don't remember feeling that way when I read "A River Runs Through It" all those years ago. The language is lovely and evocative and the people enjoyable and believable. Recommended.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in rural Oregon, the book is about romantic relationships, redemption and reunion, fly-fishing, river guiding, and a murder committed on the river. All of this involves an interesting set of characters living somewhat isolated lives in one of Oregon's rural river valleys. Although I gave this book a two star rating, check it out and see if you would like to spend some enjoyable hours with it in your hands.

[Stacy Bearse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this marvelous novel, kind of like lingering over a fine dinner or slowly sipping a glass of terrific cabernet. Larison's story will make you appreciate the power of friends and family. Fly fishing is at the heart of this tale of living a lie, facing the truth, and achieving ultimate redemption. You don't have to be an angler to appreciate "Holding Lies", but if you are, a great novel will be even richer.

[Tyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Nice, quiet story about a river guide and the community that he lives in. Trying to reconnect with his daugther, figure out a murder and himself in the process. In some ways it reminded me of Saints at the River by Ron Rash which I also enjoyed

[Matt Neznanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holding Lies raised interesting questions as to the nature of pursuing fish, a person's role in nature and mankind and the power of place, while illustrating characters that earned my attention and concern. Well-written. A book that uses fishing as a core, but without feeling forced.

[Loree Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Good book, but at times it felt like I had to work at remembering that a bit too hard.

It may just be that I don't fly fish, and it has a strong fly fish tempo.

Which does, of course, reinforce the Good Book premise...

[Len Pettek · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you every wanted to know what it was like to live in a small resort town this is it. Great ethics play for family, community and envirnonment.

[Dot Heimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book about a river guide, relationships, redemption and reunions set in the Northwest. Will read more of his books.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining novel

[Cndy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but not my cup of moonshine...