Red Cloud Pistachios

by David J. Heslop

Broke and out of work, Joe Johnson abandons his 17-year old lover and ultimately the son she would have. And though the two remain friends and sometime lovers over the years, the boy is never told the truth about his father. But time and conscience are catching up with Johnson and a traumatic event in Mexico will finally force him to confront his guilt—and the truth.

Set on a pistachio farm in Southern Arizona and drifting for a time into Sonora, Mexico, Red Cloud Pistachios is part meditation on estrangement and acceptance, part pastoral of contemporary small town life. In it we find the capacity to hope for the best in others—and in ourselves.

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

David J. Heslop is formerly an award winning copywriter and Associate Creative Director. Honors include a regional Emmy Award for broadcast promotion, National Best of Category, and numerous local and regional medals.

Red Cloud Pistachios, his debut novel, was a prizewinner in the 2005 Arizona Statewide Writers’ Contest, and 2011 Reader's Favorite Gold Award winner for general fiction. A companion novel entitled These Barren Hills was released in the summer of 2013. A long-time resident of the Boston area, he moved with his wife to Tucson, Arizona in 2000.

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I've read a number of independently published books, and they usually suffer from three main problems: poor proofreading, poor editing, and poor writing. "Red Cloud Pistachios" is definitely a departure from that formula. It is an engaging story full of real sounding characters dealing with poor life choices, but still able to find some sort of redemption over time and with the help of the other flawed people around them. The people, relationships, and events ring true, to a degree. It may be a little formulaic in parts (thus only 4.5 starts instead of a full 5), but that is only a minor drawback and not a deterrence to enjoying the story. It deserves a larger audience and, hopefully, will one day be picked up by one of the larger publishing houses.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took some time for me to find my bearings in this novel, but once I did, I was hooked. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a story about an absent father and his son. While these characters were, indeed, the focal points of the story, the book introduced me to an entire cast of characters, several of whom were so well developed that I just wanted to keep reading about them. I especially enjoyed getting to know "Mrs. A" and witnessing the character development of Kurt. I loved the Arizona setting and enjoyed the author's gift of description. I hope to see more from this author.

[Ashley Episcopo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending redeemed this book quite a bit, although the story and idea were interesting and relatable. This is one of only a few books I've read where the editing took away from the story, which was disappointing.

[Alison]

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[Adam Durst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read with real, relatable characters.

Check out the audiobook!
http://www.audible.com/pd/B00KQ2G1K0