The Alaskan Laundry - Paperback

by Brendan Jones (Author)

On the icy waters of the Bering Sea, a lost, fierce young woman finds herself through the hard work of fishing and the stubborn love of real friendship.

Tara Marconi has made her way from Philly to "the Rock," a remote island in Alaska governed by the seasons. Her mother's death left her unmoored, with a seemingly impassable rift between her and her father. But in this majestic, rugged frontier she works her way up the commercial fishing ladder--from hatchery assistant all the way to king crabber. Disciplined from years as a young boxer, she learns anew what it means to work, to connect, and--through an unlikely old tugboat--how to make a home she knows is her own.

A testament to the places that shape us and the places that change us, The Alaskan Laundry tells one woman's unforgettable journey back to the possibility of love.

"This novel will reconvince you of the power of wilderness to heal a human heart" (Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted).

Back Jacket

Transporting . . . This novel will reconvince you of the power of wilderness to heal a human heart. Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted

In waters as far and icy as the Bering Sea, a fierce, lost young woman finds herself through the hard work of fishing and the stubborn love of real friendship.

Tara Marconi has made her way from Philly to the Rock, a remote island in Alaska governed by the seasons. Her mother s death left her unmoored, with a seemingly impassable rift between her and her father. But in this majestic, rugged frontier she works her way up the commercial fishing ladder from hatchery assistant all the way to king crabber. Disciplined from years as a young boxer, she learns anew what it means to work, to connect, and through an unlikely old tugboat how to make a home she knows is her own.

A testament to the places that shape us and the places that change us, The Alaskan Laundry tells one woman s unforgettable journey back to the possibility of love.

"This novel is a rarity a gripping, straightforward, old-fashioned novel about coming of age (a woman, no less) in Alaska. It is reminiscent of the best of Wallace Stegner." Richard Ford

Gorgeous and powerful. Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans

A taut, page-turning narrative, an indomitableheroine, and a richcast of characters allsteeped ina world whereyou can smell the tang of kelp at low tide, hear the creak ofseiners at their moorings, hear the rustling of the southeast Alaska rain forest . . . A cinematic tour de force. Nick Jans, author of A Wolf Called Romeo

BRENDAN JONES lives on a tugboat in Alaska and works in commercial fishing. A Stegner fellow, he studied and boxed at Oxford University. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Ploughshares, Popular Woodworking, and on NPR. He lives in Sitka, Alaska.

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Author Biography

Brendan Jones lives on a tugboat in Alaska and works in commercial fishing. A Stegner Fellow, he received his B.A. and M.A. from Oxford University, where he boxed for the Blues team. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Ploughshares, Popular Woodworking, The Huffington Post, and on NPR.