Julip: A Novel - Softcover

Harrison, Jim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802143768 ISBN 13: 9780802143761

Publisher: Grove Press, 2008

Synopsis

In three novellas, Jim Harrison takes us on an American journey as he leads us through the wondrous landscape of the human heart. "Julip" follows a bright and resourceful young woman as she tries to spring her brother from a Florida jail—he shot three of her former lovers "below the belt." "The Seven-Ounce Man" continues the picaresque adventures of Brown Dog, a Michigan scoundrel who loves to eat, drink, and chase women, all while sailing along in the bottom 10 percent. "The Beige Dolorosa" is the haunting tale of an academic who, recovering from the repercussions of a sexual harassment scandal, turns to the natural world for solace. In each of these stories, the irresistible pull of nature becomes a magnificent backdrop for exploring the toughest questions about life and love.

About this title

About the Author:

Jim Harrison (1937-2016) was the author of over thirty-five books of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction, including Legends of the Fall, The Road Home, The English Major, and The Farmer's Daughter. His writing appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and the New York Times. He earned a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Spirit of the West Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association. His work has been recognized worldwide and published in twenty-two languages.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A hit and two misses by novelist, poet, and journalist Harrison (Dalva, 1988; Legends of the Fall, 1979). These three novellas contrast the chaos of so-called civilization, signified by the havoc wreaked by the wantonness of the human libido, against the brutal yet orderly simplicity of nature. In the title piece, Julip tries to get her brother Bobby declared mentally incompetent and freed from prison, where he has been sent after shooting her three lovers. Although Julip willingly had sex with each of the victims, Bobby, who harbors sexual feelings for his sister, claims that he was only avenging his sister's defilement. Julip, a dog trainer, has long used her physical attractiveness to get what she wants, yet she is only truly at peace when she is among the animals she loves at her farm in rural Wisconsin. Overall, ``Julip'' is a nonstop joy ride of a read as the vibrant protagonist travels from Wisconsin to Florida using all of her considerable charm to spring her loved one from jail. More ponderous is ``The Seven-Ounce Man,'' about an errant Indian named Brown Dog, a character first introduced in Harrison's The Woman Lit By fireflies. Brown Dog is torn between his political principles and his libidinal and alcoholic impulses. Harrison is less effective when he forgoes plot and dialogue and lets his characters introspectively pontificate on the vagaries of human nature, as Brown Dog does here. The third novella, ``The Beige Dolorosa,'' is about a professor who traumatically loses his job over accusations of sexual harassment. Moving unwillingly to Arizona, the protagonist eventually finds the kind of spiritual fulfillment that has eluded him all of his life, yet not before one last, potentially disastrous flush of sexual desire. More philosophical than plot-driven, this last novella is the most blandly written; the more intellectual potential Harrison's characters possess, the less interesting they are. Hedonists, beware, Harrison seems to be saying; unchecked sexual desire leads to incest, infidelity, and prostitution. Mother Nature, on the other hand, offers a spiritual connection to an animal instinct untainted by modern neuroses. Like most people, Harrison's characters are caught right in the middle. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0802143768
• ISBN 13: 9780802143761
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288