A River Closely Watched by Jon Boilard
When seventeen-year-old Bobby Dubois’s father is arrested, it looks like Bobby is headed into the system, too—that is, until Uncle Thaddeus rescues him. They take to the backwoods, managing to stay one step ahead of the law. Thaddeus teaches bobby how to drink, fight, and fornicate—how to be a right Dubois.
But when hurricane rains ravage Franklin County and swell the Swift River, Thaddeus and Bobby are flushed from the hills and the dark Dubois legacy of violence catches up with them. Sown through with bristling language, this intense first novel was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and established Jon Boilard as heir to James Elroy and Elmore Leonard.
Publication Date: February 24, 2017
Paperback: 328 pages
When seventeen-year-old Bobby Dubois’s father is arrested, it looks like Bobby is headed into the system, too—that is, until Uncle Thaddeus rescues him. They take to the backwoods, managing to stay one step ahead of the law. Thaddeus teaches bobby how to drink, fight, and fornicate—how to be a right Dubois.
But when hurricane rains ravage Franklin County and swell the Swift River, Thaddeus and Bobby are flushed from the hills and the dark Dubois legacy of violence catches up with them. Sown through with bristling language, this intense first novel was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and established Jon Boilard as heir to James Elroy and Elmore Leonard.
Publication Date: February 24, 2017
Paperback: 328 pages
When seventeen-year-old Bobby Dubois’s father is arrested, it looks like Bobby is headed into the system, too—that is, until Uncle Thaddeus rescues him. They take to the backwoods, managing to stay one step ahead of the law. Thaddeus teaches bobby how to drink, fight, and fornicate—how to be a right Dubois.
But when hurricane rains ravage Franklin County and swell the Swift River, Thaddeus and Bobby are flushed from the hills and the dark Dubois legacy of violence catches up with them. Sown through with bristling language, this intense first novel was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and established Jon Boilard as heir to James Elroy and Elmore Leonard.
Publication Date: February 24, 2017
Paperback: 328 pages
PRAISE FOR A River Closely Watched
“Boilard’s novel is the literary equivalent of punk rock.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A River Closely Watched is a stunning debut. You will hear from Jon Boilard again and again.”
—Steve Yarbrough, author of Realm of Last Chances and Oxygen Man
“There’s an old saw among traders of collectible volumes that goes ‘A scarce book is one you’ll find once in ten years of dedicated browsing; a rare book is one you’ll find once in a lifetime.’ By a similar measure, Jon Boilard is a rare writer, and his debut novel is a gem among rare reads.”
—Sonny Brewer, author of The Widow and the Tree and The Poet of Tolstoy Park
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jon Boilard is the author of A River Closely Watched (MacAdam/Cage, 2012, Dzanc Books 2017), a finalist for the Northern California Book Award, The Castaway Lounge (Dzanc Books 2016) and the story collection, Settright Road (Dzanc Books, 2017). Born and raised in Western Massachusetts, Boilard lives in San Francisco, CA.
