John Larison - Whiskey When We're Dry

Join Program via Zoom link here,  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92281003700

Join 2020 Port Townsend Community Read author, John Larison as he discusses his book, to be followed by an “In Conversation” talk with local author, Adrianne Harun. 

“A thunderclap of originality, here is a fresh voice and fresh take on one of the oldest stories we tell about ourselves as Americans and Westerners. It’s riveting in all the right ways – a damn good read that stayed with me long after closing the covers.”
— Timothy Egan, New York Times bestselling author of The Worst Hard Time

In the spring of 1885, finding herself alone, seventeen-year-old Jessilyn Harney sets out to find her runaway brother, Noah. But it’s dangerous to be a young woman travelling in the West. Without options, she cuts off her hair, binds her chest, saddles her beloved mare, Ingrid, and sets off across the mountains. Written in Larison’s lush prose that brings the wild landscape to life, Whiskey When We’re Dry is a brutal, heartbreaking tale of bravery, loss, and identity in the American West.

Growing up, Jessilyn learned sharpshooting from her father. Now known as Jesse, her skills catch the eye of the territory’s violent, capricious Governor, who offers her employment. But Noah is now an outlaw, and the very men Jesse travels with are trying to hunt him down. The journey is long, bitter, and violent, and Jess finds herself committing acts that take her further and further away from the girl she
once was.

Told in Jess’s unforgettable voice, Whiskey When We’re Dry is an epic as expansive as America itself—and weaves together the complex web of stories and characters that contributed to its formation.

Author Profile

John Larison was born in Oregon in 1979, and worked as a fly-fishing guide and high school English teacher before turning full-time to writing. His most recent novel, Whiskey When We’re Dry, was a Los Angeles Times Bestseller, an Indie Next Pick, and a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award. It was named a Best Book by O Magazine, Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly, Outside Magazine, Powell’s, NPR’s All Things Considered, and others, and is currently being developed for a feature film. He lives with his family near Bellfountain, Oregon. Visit him online here.