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North of Highway 8: A Novel
Tucked in the pine and birch woods of northern Wisconsin, Matt Harris has life-changing business to do. Representing the company promising a better future to his hometown and state, Matt returns to find that towns and people can change — drastically. Deprived of the once robust blue-collar economy, buildings have been boarded up, the school has declined, politics have grown bitter, and poverty reigns supreme. The growing plight of rural and Midwestern USA has hit home or, maybe, it was always there. Determined to please both his boss and the town, Matt must confront his greatest whether he should use his ambition to help his hometown or to help himself. Through challenges of love, hate, ethics, and pride, Matt learns a lot about life on his visit home—but at what cost?
North of Highway 8 explores the plight of rural America, man's inherent connection with nature, and the importance of tolerance, friendship, and ethics. Author Jacob Gardner How far will you go for your pride or your career? What does it really mean to love your home? What is the balance between people’s prosperity and the Earth’s welfare?
“A nostalgic novel filled with life's little lessons about home, the need to escape, and the shock of rediscovering what you left behind. Anyone with strong feelings about where they’re from—either with love or hate—will feel like this book was written for them.” — Independent Book Review
“A novel of sharp insights and plenty of page-turning emotional drama… Mesmerizing. Undeniably enthralling. Read it.” - The Prairies Book Review
North of Highway 8 explores the plight of rural America, man's inherent connection with nature, and the importance of tolerance, friendship, and ethics. Author Jacob Gardner How far will you go for your pride or your career? What does it really mean to love your home? What is the balance between people’s prosperity and the Earth’s welfare?
“A nostalgic novel filled with life's little lessons about home, the need to escape, and the shock of rediscovering what you left behind. Anyone with strong feelings about where they’re from—either with love or hate—will feel like this book was written for them.” — Independent Book Review
“A novel of sharp insights and plenty of page-turning emotional drama… Mesmerizing. Undeniably enthralling. Read it.” - The Prairies Book Review
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 27, 2022
They say you can never go back home again. They say that money can’t buy happiness. But is this always true? In the novel North of Highway 8 by Jacob R. Garner, these questions are asked and answered.
The novel is primarily set in rural, northern Wisconsin. Matt, who grew up poor, left his hometown in northern Wisconsin and found money and success working in a PR firm out of Atlanta. Although he is successful, Matt isn’t happy nor does he truly fit in with his co-workers, who are from more affluent backgrounds. However, Matt tries to blend in, wearing his expensive suits, condo, cars, and such as a sort of mask to hide behind.
All is going well until he is assigned a case, involving a Chinese company that wants to build a factory near his hometown in northern Wisconsin. As a result, Matt and his assistant, Brit (a young black woman) are sent to northern Wisconsin for several months, starting in autumn and stretching into winter. It is their job to “sell” the locals on this factory.
When Matt first arrives back home, he only sees what is wrong in the area—rundown homes, substance abuse issues, a lack of good paying jobs, and so on. However, he tries to use these issues to garner support for the factory—highlighting the promise of more jobs while spinning the environmental cost.
Matt and Brit meet and are befriended by two locals, Nicole and Patrick, who oppose the factory on environmental grounds. Matt also spends time with his parents, who are happy living a simple life in their small ranch-style home.
Brit eventually quits her job, explaining that the unsavory nature of PR work isn’t for her. She also found the cold northern winter isolating, especially as the only black woman in the area. This left Matt alone to handle the job and the ethical issues involved.
I won’t get into too many details of the plot except to say that as the book moves along, Matt comes to terms with his past and his present.
However, although I enjoyed the book, I found that the minor characters were often only one-sided, unpleasant caricatures of rural residents, i.e., racist, ignorant, and so on. Luckily, the author fleshed out the more important characters in the book.
This book is a quick read, and one that I recommend, especially to those who have left their hometowns in search of a better life. However, this book will also speak to anyone who has felt the desire to reassess their life.
The novel is primarily set in rural, northern Wisconsin. Matt, who grew up poor, left his hometown in northern Wisconsin and found money and success working in a PR firm out of Atlanta. Although he is successful, Matt isn’t happy nor does he truly fit in with his co-workers, who are from more affluent backgrounds. However, Matt tries to blend in, wearing his expensive suits, condo, cars, and such as a sort of mask to hide behind.
All is going well until he is assigned a case, involving a Chinese company that wants to build a factory near his hometown in northern Wisconsin. As a result, Matt and his assistant, Brit (a young black woman) are sent to northern Wisconsin for several months, starting in autumn and stretching into winter. It is their job to “sell” the locals on this factory.
When Matt first arrives back home, he only sees what is wrong in the area—rundown homes, substance abuse issues, a lack of good paying jobs, and so on. However, he tries to use these issues to garner support for the factory—highlighting the promise of more jobs while spinning the environmental cost.
Matt and Brit meet and are befriended by two locals, Nicole and Patrick, who oppose the factory on environmental grounds. Matt also spends time with his parents, who are happy living a simple life in their small ranch-style home.
Brit eventually quits her job, explaining that the unsavory nature of PR work isn’t for her. She also found the cold northern winter isolating, especially as the only black woman in the area. This left Matt alone to handle the job and the ethical issues involved.
I won’t get into too many details of the plot except to say that as the book moves along, Matt comes to terms with his past and his present.
However, although I enjoyed the book, I found that the minor characters were often only one-sided, unpleasant caricatures of rural residents, i.e., racist, ignorant, and so on. Luckily, the author fleshed out the more important characters in the book.
This book is a quick read, and one that I recommend, especially to those who have left their hometowns in search of a better life. However, this book will also speak to anyone who has felt the desire to reassess their life.
February 1, 2022
Enjoyed this very much. It has a good story, engaging characters and food for thought. I look forward to to seeing where the author goes next!
January 20, 2022
“I think part of loving this town, loving my home, is wanting to fix it.”
As this quote from the book suggests, North of Highway 8 will resonate with anyone who has struggled to find the balance of loving their hometown and wanting better for it. Through Matt’s character Gardner wrestles well with themes of economic class, environmentalism, home, and finding meaning in one’s work. These themes, paired with a beautiful setting and delightfully complex characters, will leave you deep in thought long after this quick read.
As this quote from the book suggests, North of Highway 8 will resonate with anyone who has struggled to find the balance of loving their hometown and wanting better for it. Through Matt’s character Gardner wrestles well with themes of economic class, environmentalism, home, and finding meaning in one’s work. These themes, paired with a beautiful setting and delightfully complex characters, will leave you deep in thought long after this quick read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews