Healing of Howard Brown by Jeb Stewart Harrison

Publisher:  Create Space (August 16, 2016)
Category: Literary Fiction; Contemporary Fiction; Family Saga
Tour Date: January & February, 2017
ISBN: 978-1530900282
Available in: Print & ebook,  336 Pages

“This is your last chance to do something right, son. Don’t screw it up.”

With these words ringing in his 60-year old ears, Howard Brown, Jr., sets out from Kentfield, California to find his wayward and possibly psychotic sister and return her to their dying father’s bedside. The search leads him to the Brown family’s ancestral home near St. Francisville, Louisiana, where his Southern cousins have apparently conspired with his sister to bilk him out his inherited, potentially oil-rich property. At the same time, he discovers that a long dormant birthmark in his sternum is a portal to the land of the dead. His consciousness is suddenly inundated with terrifying visitations from a rogue’s gallery of twisted ancestors, until he fears that he is just as crazy as his sister and everybody else in their labyrinthine family. Wounded to his core, doped up and strung out, Howard discovers that his salvation is beating loud and clear, within his own weary heart, and that all he has to do is listen.

The Healing of Howard Brown is a capacious and energetic narrative of self-discovery, delivered with an authentic voice that is supple, smart, somber, witty, ironic, self-revealing, self-doubting, and wonderfully lyrical. Themes of family, trust and responsibility to others, the national as well as personal past, and the life of the spirit resound throughout, with a cultural resonance involving class and race, the North and the South, the definition of masculine identity, and, centrally, the nature of mature love in a multitude of relationships-husband-wife, brother-sister, father-son- in the face of a debilitating mental illness that runs like a poison vein through the family tree.

 My Thoughts Healing of Howard Brown by Jeb Stewart Harrison

This novel opens with the patriarch of the family on his death bed.  The family is around him but his daughter just ups and leaves, actually disappears.  As the man dying seems to have taken his last breath, he all of a sudden sits up and tells his son, Howard to go find his sister, Sisi,  Thus begins Howard’s journey of self discovery and family secrets.  

Howard starts out from California and goes to his cousin’s in Louisiana where he had heard Sisi had been. While there, Howard makes many discoveries including that his cousins were conspiring with Sisi to scam Howard out of his inheritance. There are many complex issues at play in this family drama, treated expertly by Jeb Stewart Harrison!

The Healing of Howard Brown is very unique in literary quality and humor.  I loved the writing, vivid descriptions, the quirky characters, and the laugh out loud moments!  I also enjoyed the pop culture tidbids, like the mention of ‘Lost In Space’. This is a moving meditation on life, self-discovery, and family.  I recommend it highly! I can’t wait to read more by Jeb Stewart Harrison!

5/5

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

About Jeb Stewart Harrison

Jeb Stewart Harrison is a freelance writer, songwriter, musician and painter in Stinson Beach, California. After many years as an ad agency copywriter, writer/producer, creative director, and director of marketing communications, Jeb now writes fiction and creative non-fiction, along with commercial works for hire.

Jeb’s debut novel, Hack, was published by Harper Davis Publishers in August 2012. In 2015 he received his MFA from Pacific Lutheran University at the tender age of 60, and followed up with the publication of “The Healing of Howard Brown” in August, 2016. He also records and plays electric bass guitar with the popular instrumental combo The Treble Makers, as well as Bay Area favorites Call Me Bwana.

Jeb was born and raised in Kentfield, California, and has lived in Boulder, CO; Missoula, MT; Hollywood, CA; Scottsdale, AZ; Indianapolis, IN and Ridgefield, CT.

Website: http://www.jebsharrison.com/
Blog: http://adventuresinlimboland.blogspot.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babybingusbooks/
Twitter: @JebdeLimboman
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JebHarrisonVI
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jebhop/

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Giveaway of Healing Of Howard Brown by Jeb Stewart Harrison

There is still time to enter my giveaway to win a copy of this fantastic book for yourself!  This giveaway is for the choice of one print or ebook copy.  Sorry, print is open to the U.S. only however, ebook is open worldwide.  This giveaway ends on February 28. 2017 at midnight, Pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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