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Mornings in Two Pan
What if everything you know about your family is only half of the truth?Every small town has its curiosities and conflicts. For Jiggs Woolsey, the most disturbing mystery is the identity of the buried skull he digs up on his Oregon ranch. Warned not to turn it in, he seeks answers about the five generations of his family who’ve previously worked the acres. His father and the cantankerous old-timers of the fizzled-out community of Two Pan will teach him the hard way that they’re not ready to give up their secrets yet.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2014
257 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
B.K. Froman
5 books15 followersB.K. Froman is an award-winning writer, radio/TV talent, and university educator who now lives outside of Portland Oregon after spending several decades in Oklahoma. Her works continue to capture a thoughtful and sensitive look at people in small towns and as she preserves a small slice of Americana that is quickly fading. The 2013 Clackamas Literary award winner in Short Works, Froman uses wry humor and clever dialogue to remind her readers that life is—all about change.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
December 7, 2017
Mornings in Two Pan. I’m not sure what I expected or what I was getting into when I started this 2014 short novel from writer B.K. Froman. And I’m still not sure.
Two Pan Oregon, according to an anecdote told in the novel, was named thus because gold miners back in the day said that you couldn’t get two pans of gold from the area.
My father in law (God rest his soul) used to like watching home improvement shows. This was before HGTV and all the suburban flip or flop reality shows these days. He liked to watch Bob Villa and that sort. PBS.
*** Special note to those under 40. Once upon a time there were only four channels – CBS, NBC and ABC and PBS. When the president wanted to talk you either had to endure it or find something else to do for an hour. ****
Bob Villa and his tool belt wearing clan liked to hang out in the Public Broadcasting hinterland. I’d sit down next to my wife’s father and watch with him. I’ll be damned if they were not quite entertaining – but hypnotic in a weird SF kind of way. “He’ll never get that elbow pipe in that crawlspace” TEN MINUTES LATER “Well, I’ll be.”
Or “Today we’re going to install this tile in the guest bathroom” - TEN MINUTES LATER – “Damn, I didn’t know you used sand in the aggregate.” And on and on.
So Mornings in Two Pan. Not altogether earth shattering, no great literature, but good reading – and hypnotic in a weird SF kind of way. But this is not science fiction. If I had to slap a label on it I’d say it’s a modern day western.
There are some strange family dynamics out in eastern Oregon, some small town goings on, maybe some outright mystery – and then TEN MINUTES LATER – you’re another few pages in and wondering where in the hell the time had gone.
In spite of any logic or in any way I can articulate (I stared at the blank Word document for a while trying to decide what to say in this review) I liked it. I enjoyed the detail he went to in describing various backstories and he has created a wealth of history for this small town and the families who have called this place home for generations. Froman’s characterization is excellent – the character Ox is exactly like an old guy I used to work for.
A very different, unique and original kind of book.
Two Pan Oregon, according to an anecdote told in the novel, was named thus because gold miners back in the day said that you couldn’t get two pans of gold from the area.
My father in law (God rest his soul) used to like watching home improvement shows. This was before HGTV and all the suburban flip or flop reality shows these days. He liked to watch Bob Villa and that sort. PBS.
*** Special note to those under 40. Once upon a time there were only four channels – CBS, NBC and ABC and PBS. When the president wanted to talk you either had to endure it or find something else to do for an hour. ****
Bob Villa and his tool belt wearing clan liked to hang out in the Public Broadcasting hinterland. I’d sit down next to my wife’s father and watch with him. I’ll be damned if they were not quite entertaining – but hypnotic in a weird SF kind of way. “He’ll never get that elbow pipe in that crawlspace” TEN MINUTES LATER “Well, I’ll be.”
Or “Today we’re going to install this tile in the guest bathroom” - TEN MINUTES LATER – “Damn, I didn’t know you used sand in the aggregate.” And on and on.
So Mornings in Two Pan. Not altogether earth shattering, no great literature, but good reading – and hypnotic in a weird SF kind of way. But this is not science fiction. If I had to slap a label on it I’d say it’s a modern day western.
There are some strange family dynamics out in eastern Oregon, some small town goings on, maybe some outright mystery – and then TEN MINUTES LATER – you’re another few pages in and wondering where in the hell the time had gone.
In spite of any logic or in any way I can articulate (I stared at the blank Word document for a while trying to decide what to say in this review) I liked it. I enjoyed the detail he went to in describing various backstories and he has created a wealth of history for this small town and the families who have called this place home for generations. Froman’s characterization is excellent – the character Ox is exactly like an old guy I used to work for.
A very different, unique and original kind of book.
October 29, 2015
Fabulous.
I was, initially, a bit taken aback by the 'second person' pov in the first chapter, but after a couple of pages the words flowed so naturally that I was in that delightful state of no longer 'reading' but 'being' the story. (Go on, you KNOW what I mean there)
The rest of the book is, however in third person, past tense, though the transition is hardly noticeable.
This is an honest and sometimes brutal tale of family and relationships and life and growing old and hardship. The writing is wonderful - simple and clear and it drew me in to the world of Two Pan and Jiggs and Ox and Nap. Beautifully sparse writing that said very little at times and yet all the more powerful for that.
An author to follow.
I was, initially, a bit taken aback by the 'second person' pov in the first chapter, but after a couple of pages the words flowed so naturally that I was in that delightful state of no longer 'reading' but 'being' the story. (Go on, you KNOW what I mean there)
The rest of the book is, however in third person, past tense, though the transition is hardly noticeable.
This is an honest and sometimes brutal tale of family and relationships and life and growing old and hardship. The writing is wonderful - simple and clear and it drew me in to the world of Two Pan and Jiggs and Ox and Nap. Beautifully sparse writing that said very little at times and yet all the more powerful for that.
An author to follow.
March 18, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book and give it 4 out of 5 stars. Jiggs Woolsey lives with his father and son . They run a cattle ranch in dry eastern Oregon. Jiggs uncovers a skull on the ranch and is going to notify the Sherriff when his father demands that he do nothing. The mystery part of the book is uncovering whose skull. But the book is more than a mystery. It is about relationships. Both Jiggs and his dad Ox are widowers. They do not get along. Jiggs tries to look after his dad, now in his 80s, but his dad is just downright mean and nasty.
I like the author's sense of humor: Jiggs throws away a metal cracker tin and his father has a fit and reclaims it. The tin is labeled "Strings too short to use."
A chapter heading that some family members will like: "If you can't fix it with duct tape, You haven't used enough."
I like the author's sense of humor: Jiggs throws away a metal cracker tin and his father has a fit and reclaims it. The tin is labeled "Strings too short to use."
A chapter heading that some family members will like: "If you can't fix it with duct tape, You haven't used enough."
January 10, 2016
In this books we come to know three men (son,father and grandfather). Their dysfunctional relationship is explored as the father attempts to identify human bones he found in a creek bed on their property. Instead of answering questions about the bones, the grandfather reburies them and, in additional to determining the identity of the skeleton, the grandfather's possible role in the events that let to the burial in the creek becomes part of the mystery. At first I did not like any of these men, but as the book progressed my empathy with their situation grew along with my desire to understand the basis for their excessively prickly relationship.
November 14, 2015
I picked this book based on the cover! The story is not one I'd typically read. What a treasure. Set in rural eastern Oregon, it is the story of a father and his son. The characters were well developed. I really enjoyed this story.
December 11, 2015
The setting and characters in this book were vividly described and interesting (cattle ranchers in Oregon). The plot for me was a bit bland, consisting mainly of sudden revelations at the end. It looks like it's the author's debut, in which case I would say the writing shows excellent potential.
November 5, 2015
A strange book with quirky characters. Not my typical read but I liked it. Not sure if I will read the other one in the series but...
It had a good ending, a bit of a shocker too.
It had a good ending, a bit of a shocker too.
December 18, 2020
“Wealth Is Like Dung, Useful Only When Spread”
We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I must confess, the cover is the only reason I opted to read Mornings in Two Pan. It’s the cow that sold it to me.
My initial reaction was one of disappointment. I really struggled with the second person point of view (and the spelling/grammatical mistakes) in the first chapter. In fact, there was one moment I said “balls to this” and was tempted to find an alternative read.
However, I persevered, and to be honest, I’m glad I did.
Within a few pages everything starts to flow a bit better, and somewhere along the way we transition in to a past tense third person which reads far easier.
On the surface this book is a mystery – Jiggs discovers a human skull on his land, and the story charts his journey to discover who it once belonged to, and what happened to the owner. However, while it’s always in the background, you never get the impression it’s an all-consuming desire to find the truth, more an “I’ll add it to my ever-growing list of things to get done”.
Which is fine, apart from I admit I found myself not really caring about the mystery being solved. Of course, it was, in a blur of revelations at the end.
However, the real story is perhaps in the exploration of the dysfunctional relationships between three generations of male relatives. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, or even worthy of being protagonists, in fact, for many pages the highlights for me were descriptions of their goofy dairy cow.
That said, it’s kind of the point. Froman’s characterisation is brilliant; I could well imagine the gruff, grumpy and impossible to handle Ox stomping through my kitchen and leaving a wake of shattered atmosphere behind him. I could feel Jiggs’ exasperation with his lot and on the edges of it all, Nap bouncing around with the enthusiasm of youth, desperate to just blow shit up.
It wasn’t a bad book, but I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it. In the end I found it quite pointless; I didn’t feel like it changed me, made me think about anything particularly poignant, it didn’t educate me and it didn’t entertain me enough.
My knee-jerk reaction was to give it two stars.
However, further investigation reveals it was actually a debut novel and in that context, two stars seems unduly harsh. As a result, I’m giving it a three.
While Mornings might be the first in a trilogy of Two Pan stories, I won’t be reading the others. I honestly don’t care enough; however, I must admit, if this is where Froman’s starting from, the other books do show promise.
We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I must confess, the cover is the only reason I opted to read Mornings in Two Pan. It’s the cow that sold it to me.
My initial reaction was one of disappointment. I really struggled with the second person point of view (and the spelling/grammatical mistakes) in the first chapter. In fact, there was one moment I said “balls to this” and was tempted to find an alternative read.
However, I persevered, and to be honest, I’m glad I did.
Within a few pages everything starts to flow a bit better, and somewhere along the way we transition in to a past tense third person which reads far easier.
On the surface this book is a mystery – Jiggs discovers a human skull on his land, and the story charts his journey to discover who it once belonged to, and what happened to the owner. However, while it’s always in the background, you never get the impression it’s an all-consuming desire to find the truth, more an “I’ll add it to my ever-growing list of things to get done”.
Which is fine, apart from I admit I found myself not really caring about the mystery being solved. Of course, it was, in a blur of revelations at the end.
However, the real story is perhaps in the exploration of the dysfunctional relationships between three generations of male relatives. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, or even worthy of being protagonists, in fact, for many pages the highlights for me were descriptions of their goofy dairy cow.
That said, it’s kind of the point. Froman’s characterisation is brilliant; I could well imagine the gruff, grumpy and impossible to handle Ox stomping through my kitchen and leaving a wake of shattered atmosphere behind him. I could feel Jiggs’ exasperation with his lot and on the edges of it all, Nap bouncing around with the enthusiasm of youth, desperate to just blow shit up.
It wasn’t a bad book, but I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it. In the end I found it quite pointless; I didn’t feel like it changed me, made me think about anything particularly poignant, it didn’t educate me and it didn’t entertain me enough.
My knee-jerk reaction was to give it two stars.
However, further investigation reveals it was actually a debut novel and in that context, two stars seems unduly harsh. As a result, I’m giving it a three.
While Mornings might be the first in a trilogy of Two Pan stories, I won’t be reading the others. I honestly don’t care enough; however, I must admit, if this is where Froman’s starting from, the other books do show promise.
May 31, 2017
Jiggs and his father have never seen eye to eye but without any women left to keep them from fighting they just stay apart as much as possible. When Jiggs finds an old skull on his family land his father tells him to let it be. This leads to finding out more about his family than he ever knew.The quirkyness of the charcters in this book add a lighter note to the mystery and family drama. Even the cow has personality. The mystery is the underlying plot of this character driven novel. It is almost like a Fargo of books mixed with Northern Lights. Yes, I am showing my age but the chracters are just amazing.
April 19, 2020
I love small towns. And this book was refreshing and so enjoyable. Small towns often have many hidden secrets. This town has many. A middle aged widowed man is having a difficult time with his widowed father. The father is very strict with many secretes he keeps from his son. The don't get along and the son can not understand the father. A rich story of their daily lives. The father has a violent temper and is having mental problems. He causes his son and grandson many heartaches and trouble. The end of the book is not what you expected. The son comes to understand the father when it is too late. A very good study in human nature.
May 12, 2022
Not my usual fare, I prefer mystery/thriller, but picked this up for a change of pace after reading some reviews. It was like taking a break and just sitting around enjoying sunset. The slow easy pace was comfortable. After being away from the book for a week, I was ready to get back into high voltage reading, which this book is not. It could have been 2 books to me, the first relaxing and cozy, the 2nd slow and boring. My mood made the diff.
The writing was good, so if you want to just meander and feel Jiggs family life for a bit, this book will suit you. No killers hiding under your bed, just folksy stories.
The writing was good, so if you want to just meander and feel Jiggs family life for a bit, this book will suit you. No killers hiding under your bed, just folksy stories.
May 29, 2017
If you're like me, when you begin to read a piece of really well crafted fiction, you enjoy the sensation of being transported away into another realm that does not feel fictional in the least. That is how your time spent reading should be, according to my way of thinking and valuing those moments I can carve from my work/life days. This story and this writer did that for me, not unlike "bigger" works like Lonesome Dove. My time spent with this book melded me into another place. Looking forward now to finding some time to enjoy book two for my next little mental holiday.
January 24, 2021
Kind of like the tv show Heartland, but for men. It is a story of three generations of men running a ranch in eastern Oregon. Ox the grandfather is a mean and cantankerous person with no endearing qualities. Jiggs, the primary character, is trying to keep the ranch running in spite of his dad, while trying to connect with his college educated son Nap.
Both Ox and Jiggs were widowers, and have raised the respective sons by themselves.
Jiggs find a skull buried in a creek, and the subsequent attempt to identify who it was gives Jiggs a long course in the history of his family.
Both Ox and Jiggs were widowers, and have raised the respective sons by themselves.
Jiggs find a skull buried in a creek, and the subsequent attempt to identify who it was gives Jiggs a long course in the history of his family.
January 2, 2020
I was in the mood for something light hearted and fun. . . this was not that book. I guess I judged the book by it's cover (which I know you should never do). The book was OK, but not the right book for me at this time. The one "lesson" I got out of it was that children never really know their parents' lives. I think at a different time, I might have liked this book more - the setting and some of the characters reminded me of home. Maybe I will reread it one of these days!
June 16, 2021
A small town where a family lived and as the sons got older they were told stories from varies people about secrets in the town. Each one was a bit different then the others. The one son who had a few cattle on his land found a skull in the one field . He always ask his grandpa about it but would never answer him. When their Dad had pasted away they finally were learned some of the truth about him.
August 28, 2018
Funny and great characters
I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. The characters were funny and quirky and felt you had known them forever. There was enough mystery to keep it interesting. I would definitely read the next book in the series.
I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. The characters were funny and quirky and felt you had known them forever. There was enough mystery to keep it interesting. I would definitely read the next book in the series.
October 18, 2018
I’m being kind in giving it two stars. Utterly boring. Hard to relate to the characters. Very improbable interactions. I pushed myself to finish it so I can read something good. Stay away from this drivel.
Read
July 19, 2019This was not a book I usually would have read, but once started, I could not put it down. Interesting read about dysfunctional family and secrets that are kept. Hidden in this book, in my family it would have been told on the front porch and talked about frequently. I really enjoyed the book.
May 5, 2021
Great story about small town life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love the descriptions of life in a small town. It makes you want to sit down on a bench on main street drinking ice tea, and listening to all the interesting stories about life in Two Pan. I’m packing my bags.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love the descriptions of life in a small town. It makes you want to sit down on a bench on main street drinking ice tea, and listening to all the interesting stories about life in Two Pan. I’m packing my bags.
May 24, 2021
Great story of horses, and ranches, and the men who owned and made them all they can be.
I very much enjoyed this tale of lives I grew to feel were, or could be, family. A great choice for a peaceful read.
I very much enjoyed this tale of lives I grew to feel were, or could be, family. A great choice for a peaceful read.
June 9, 2021
Mornings in Two Pan
Wonderful. Wonderful. Wanting to read the next two right away. The old man is really something else until you hear his story. So sad how humans treat each other.
Wonderful. Wonderful. Wanting to read the next two right away. The old man is really something else until you hear his story. So sad how humans treat each other.
July 5, 2018
Well Written, Simple Story
The book is well written, but not a book i would recommend. I didn't enjoy reading about the difficult relationship between the father and son.
The book is well written, but not a book i would recommend. I didn't enjoy reading about the difficult relationship between the father and son.
July 14, 2018
Absolutely loved it.
April 20, 2019
A change of pace. A delightful read.
April 27, 2020
Family secrets and cows. I'm not sure what prompted me to read this book. But I loved the cover and it was interesting. I just may read the next book.
April 7, 2022
Really pleasant writing style. Good stories for light reading.
May 1, 2022
good story
an unexpectedly good read, not in my usual genre.
........... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
an unexpectedly good read, not in my usual genre.
........... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
January 9, 2023
A little confused.
I think the book is great. It is not what I expected and even though the ending was good is still left me with many questions.
I think the book is great. It is not what I expected and even though the ending was good is still left me with many questions.
February 26, 2017
I'm kind of embarrassed it took me almost a full year to read less than 200 pages, but this book just drug on forever! I went ahead and gave it three stars because even though it was slow, I still needed to keep plodding through it to find out what happened.
December 14, 2015
I admit I started Mornings in Two Pan because of the cover. By the time I finished the book, I vowed to see what other works B.K. Froman were available. You get a good helping of humor in this novel--salted with a stubborn and snide old man, peppered with a mysterious family history--and a nice main course of mystery. I found myself strolling along through the novel until I reached this brilliant passage:
Before I knew it, I was hooked. I found myself worried as much as Jiggs Woolsey about the skull, wanting his family history to be explained. I expected his dad, Ox, to lay out the family history between arguments early in the novel, but I realized soon enough that Ox would keep quiet (if only to annoy Jiggs for the majority of the novel). As the novel progressed, I found myself pleading with Ox to at least tell Nap, his grandson, what he wouldn't tell Jigg, but I also realized that would be an easy way out, and Froman isn't going to take an easy way out. I made my own conclusion (that Ox killed the skull's owner and was concerned if Jiggs called the cops, then Ox would take his last snide breath in prison).
These are the wonderful things about Mornings in Two Pan. You don't see the next moment coming. From brothels and saloons to gold mining in the hills, every new revelation takes you one step away from the mystery of the skull. By the time Froman reveals the truth behind the mystery, I was aching to know. I appreciated that the mystery was more complex than even I expected. I found myself even a little heartbroken in the end knowing what one character sacrificed for another.
“He left the skull where it lay. It seemed wrong—and creepy—to put it beside him on his pickup seat and give it a ride to his house.”
Before I knew it, I was hooked. I found myself worried as much as Jiggs Woolsey about the skull, wanting his family history to be explained. I expected his dad, Ox, to lay out the family history between arguments early in the novel, but I realized soon enough that Ox would keep quiet (if only to annoy Jiggs for the majority of the novel). As the novel progressed, I found myself pleading with Ox to at least tell Nap, his grandson, what he wouldn't tell Jigg, but I also realized that would be an easy way out, and Froman isn't going to take an easy way out. I made my own conclusion (that Ox killed the skull's owner and was concerned if Jiggs called the cops, then Ox would take his last snide breath in prison).
These are the wonderful things about Mornings in Two Pan. You don't see the next moment coming. From brothels and saloons to gold mining in the hills, every new revelation takes you one step away from the mystery of the skull. By the time Froman reveals the truth behind the mystery, I was aching to know. I appreciated that the mystery was more complex than even I expected. I found myself even a little heartbroken in the end knowing what one character sacrificed for another.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews