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Journeyman
From the author of The Dogfighter , hailed by Geoff Dyer as “the most exciting debut…by an American writer since Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides ,” comes Journeyman , a tightly wound novel about dwelling, building, belonging, love, and the value of a place to call home. Nolan Jackson is a journeyman carpenter by trade and a wanderer by nature. Set in 2007, while fellow Americans fight in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Nolan builds tract homes across California, travelling between jobs. Following a shocking workplace accident in his temporary home of Las Vegas, he uproots himself from the tentative relationships he has made and heads west towards the ocean.
On his way he passes through his brother's town where circumstances force him to stay put. Bereft of his trailer and his tools, Nolan turns to the task of building the foundations of a meaningful life. The specter of war and questions of the Western-film notions of masculinity are woven throughout the novel; from the damage to Nolan’s family by the Vietnam War in which his father fought, to the ubiquity and consequence of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to slow unraveling of his brother’s marriage and mental state, to the mysterious series of arsons being set around their small town.
Ultimately, Journeyman is an important, timely novel about men and brothers finding their way in the 21st century West.
On his way he passes through his brother's town where circumstances force him to stay put. Bereft of his trailer and his tools, Nolan turns to the task of building the foundations of a meaningful life. The specter of war and questions of the Western-film notions of masculinity are woven throughout the novel; from the damage to Nolan’s family by the Vietnam War in which his father fought, to the ubiquity and consequence of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to slow unraveling of his brother’s marriage and mental state, to the mysterious series of arsons being set around their small town.
Ultimately, Journeyman is an important, timely novel about men and brothers finding their way in the 21st century West.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
247 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2017
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378 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 2, 2018
4.25 stars, amended from 4.75, 12 hours later...I was thinking about this book today as I drove around in errand mode. So that guy who honked? I wasn’t on my phone, I was in my head, thinking about this book!
My thoughts drifted to the characters, and I have to ding my earlier/higher rating for this novel’s lesser, weaker female characters, specifically a love interest/girlfriend, and even the mom. Supporting roles, but.
———Pre-re-thinking Review/Comments follow ——-
More proof that if I like a book, I can speed read. I’ve had this on my TBR list for a long time and finally came across a copy. The entire time I read it, I thought, who is this guy? What else has he written?
The main character is a carpenter with itchy feet, as they say, and the plot — well, this Bojanowski began the book with a theme and wove it through the entire book without being heavy handed.
The characters rang true (see amendment), and I was even able to manage the descriptions of the inside of a crazy mind, because they were uncomfortably vivid, but brief.
Additional amendment: the relationships between brothers in this novel was...understated, like the rest of the book, but managed to be very deep and knowing, about firstborn vs. sibling, boss vs. worker, and the poignant way the stable brother managed his unstable brother, in a very... guy way.
I’m glad I remembered this one and kept looking for it.
My thoughts drifted to the characters, and I have to ding my earlier/higher rating for this novel’s lesser, weaker female characters, specifically a love interest/girlfriend, and even the mom. Supporting roles, but.
———Pre-re-thinking Review/Comments follow ——-
More proof that if I like a book, I can speed read. I’ve had this on my TBR list for a long time and finally came across a copy. The entire time I read it, I thought, who is this guy? What else has he written?
The main character is a carpenter with itchy feet, as they say, and the plot — well, this Bojanowski began the book with a theme and wove it through the entire book without being heavy handed.
The characters rang true (see amendment), and I was even able to manage the descriptions of the inside of a crazy mind, because they were uncomfortably vivid, but brief.
Additional amendment: the relationships between brothers in this novel was...understated, like the rest of the book, but managed to be very deep and knowing, about firstborn vs. sibling, boss vs. worker, and the poignant way the stable brother managed his unstable brother, in a very... guy way.
I’m glad I remembered this one and kept looking for it.
November 3, 2021
I went to college with Marc and he was one of the major crushes of my early college years. Though many years have passed I still recall him as one of the most intensely brilliant people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. I lost touch with him ages ago, but I loved The Dogfighter and occasionally check Google to see if he's written anything new. Very excited that he's published another and can't wait to read it!!
update:
Beautiful colors, masterful brushstrokes, but what is this a picture of? How a rambling man comes to settle down? OK. Yeah, I guess. I just don't quite know why. It just felt unimportant. Engaging, well written, but incidental. I must admit it was nice to finally read some fiction. Get my mind off heavy things for a bit.
update:
Beautiful colors, masterful brushstrokes, but what is this a picture of? How a rambling man comes to settle down? OK. Yeah, I guess. I just don't quite know why. It just felt unimportant. Engaging, well written, but incidental. I must admit it was nice to finally read some fiction. Get my mind off heavy things for a bit.
May 3, 2016
Like its protagonist, Journeyman is a quiet novel with unexpected depths about morality and modern masculinity. His need for control in a turbulent world is poignantly encompassed …
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
Full review http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
May 12, 2016
After Daredevils, Bojanowski’s protagonist Nolan reminded me a bit of Jason, in the way that he’s an essentially good man who is often (though, crucially, not always) defined by his passivity. This isn’t Bojanowski’s first novel, but it’s the first of his that I’ve read, and it strikes me that he’s very much a writer of themes. That isn’t to say he doesn’t do them well—the integration of plot points into the service of theme is generally elegant and often slyly surprising—but you can bet your boots that when something does happen in this book, it will be resonant in more ways than one.
Read the rest of the review here: https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/2016...
Read the rest of the review here: https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/2016...
November 29, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't great/deep/thought-provoking literature, but it was an easy read that just tried to tell a pretty simple story.
Nolan is a nomadic carpenter--a journeyman--who takes off at the beginning of the book, leaving behind a steady job and loving partner. It's a pattern with him, and the rest of the book gives some hints of explanation. What I liked about this, however, was that the author never really fleshed out any particular reason, nor made any judgment about whether it was right or wrong. He just told a story.
Nolan's brother is a bit of an odd duck, but again, the author voices him without judgment. Hey, plenty of people like Chance/Cosmo exist in this world, and they are relatively harmless. We need to learn how to live with them, not judge them for being different. The author does a pretty good job of this. I did tire of Chance/Cosmo at times, but for the most part he was a pretty benign character.
I guess what I really liked about this book is that Nolan is just such a likable character. He's got his flaws, but he acknowledges them and seems to want to improve them. We see his growth throughout, but it's mostly gradual and there is no big catharsis. But you feel good for him as it's happening, and end the book feeling hopeful that he's going to find that peace and happiness that's been eluding him to that point.
It's not going to break any new ground, and it's not full of excitement. But it's a warm, heartfelt story in the life of a good, meandering man.
Nolan is a nomadic carpenter--a journeyman--who takes off at the beginning of the book, leaving behind a steady job and loving partner. It's a pattern with him, and the rest of the book gives some hints of explanation. What I liked about this, however, was that the author never really fleshed out any particular reason, nor made any judgment about whether it was right or wrong. He just told a story.
Nolan's brother is a bit of an odd duck, but again, the author voices him without judgment. Hey, plenty of people like Chance/Cosmo exist in this world, and they are relatively harmless. We need to learn how to live with them, not judge them for being different. The author does a pretty good job of this. I did tire of Chance/Cosmo at times, but for the most part he was a pretty benign character.
I guess what I really liked about this book is that Nolan is just such a likable character. He's got his flaws, but he acknowledges them and seems to want to improve them. We see his growth throughout, but it's mostly gradual and there is no big catharsis. But you feel good for him as it's happening, and end the book feeling hopeful that he's going to find that peace and happiness that's been eluding him to that point.
It's not going to break any new ground, and it's not full of excitement. But it's a warm, heartfelt story in the life of a good, meandering man.
June 19, 2017
Bojanowski writes beautifully, with many unexpected descriptions. I thought that he was more successful in his portrayal of Nolan than of his brother Chance. Chance almost felt like a caricature, while Nolan's fear of relationships seemed true. As a character, he understood some of his actions, accepted his limitations, and worked to revise his patterns - sometimes successfully and other times not.
March 19, 2018
The Journeyman is Nolan Jackson. The story is about his relationships with Chance, his brother who now calls himself Cosmos Swift, Linda his once girlfriend and his workmates. Nolan is a travelling/ wandering builder. Some of the building terms used were foreign to me as were some of the Americanism. A Ram must be a type of car! Cosmos is a bit of a weird character as evidenced by his change of name. I found some of his discussion boring but overall enjoyed the book and I liked Nolan.
October 24, 2017
A “can’t commit” 32 year old itinerant carpenter grows up following a series of bizarre events and reconciliation with an estranged brother. The book has descriptive writing, interesting dialog and some thoughtful commentary about guy issues, but I found the conclusion to be unrealistic compared to other ideas explored about relationships.
February 15, 2017
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is the kind of book that got me wrapped up in a story of a nomad carpenter trying to build a consequential life. Nolan and the characters around him became real to me as the story drifted along. I really appreciated the dialogue ... it seemed so authentic to me. An atmospheric book that I had me all the way. The ending was a little pat but not so much that it detracted from the enjoyment of the book. A recommend!
This is the kind of book that got me wrapped up in a story of a nomad carpenter trying to build a consequential life. Nolan and the characters around him became real to me as the story drifted along. I really appreciated the dialogue ... it seemed so authentic to me. An atmospheric book that I had me all the way. The ending was a little pat but not so much that it detracted from the enjoyment of the book. A recommend!
May 31, 2016
Atmospheric and detailed. Love the focus on peoples hands and the way they move and contort. I did feel the story wraps up a little hurriedly and 'too perfect' at the end.
July 11, 2016
My review can be found here
http://thereoncewasabookseller.blogsp...
http://thereoncewasabookseller.blogsp...
March 21, 2017
It went nowhere really fast
April 29, 2017
Not as bad as the overall rating suggests (~3.44 at time of writing, usually I try to read 4 rated books unless I have a personal rec.). I think this one was profiled in the NYTimes maybe. Interesting story, but slow going overall. Not a bad read, but not something I need to read again. Solidly "OK"
April 11, 2017
A very good quick read. Character driven.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews