Jonathan Evison is an American writer best known for his debut novel All About Lulu published in 2008, which won critical acclaim, including the Washington State Book Award. In 2009, Evison was awarded a Richard Buckley Fellowship from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. A second novel, West of Here, will be released in February 2011 from Algonquin. Editor Chuck Adams (Water for Elephants, A Reliable Wife, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers Homes in New England) has called West of Here the best novel he's worked on in over four decades of publishing.
In his teens, Evison was the founding member and frontman of the Seattle punk band March of Crimes, which included future members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
Born in San Jose, California, he now lives on an island in Western Washington.
The Horse (2024) Willy Vlautin "There's not another writer out there, living or dead, that I trust with my heart more than Willy Vlautin, and he breaks it every damn time. In Al Ward's love and loss, in his decency, his pathos, and his struggle to endure, Vlautin has gifted us a paean to the power of song. The Horse is another classic from one of America's greatest storytellers."
Crow Talk (2024) Eileen Garvin "This novel did more than just engage me as a reader, it completely transported me. Crow Talk is keenly observant, highly atmospheric, and full of hope. Garvin writes with great warmth and pathos about the majesty of the natural world, as well as the untamed wilds of the human heart."
Northward Dreams (2024) Craig Lancaster "Sheer reading pleasure; at turns funny, heartbreaking, suspenseful, and cathartic."
Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife (2024) Eric Schlich "Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife is a bighearted, highly entertaining odyssey in the tradition of Little Miss Sunshine, at turns madcap and touching. Schlich writes about big subjects - sexuality, family, faith - with great warmth, humor, and pathos."
Community Board (2023) Tara Conklin "Timely and hilarious! For all its madcap glory, COMMUNITY BOARD is a sweet and surprisingly plausible tale for our time."
Ocean State (2022) Stewart O'Nan "What O'Nan has done perhaps better than anybody else the past ten years is deliver the complexity, heartbreak and human drama of everyday people living everyday lives."
The Houseboat (2022) Dane Bahr "The Houseboat is as taut and chilling as it is vivid and self-assured. Bahr delivers a gritty, page-turning debut not to be missed."
Hell of a Book (2021) Jason Mott "At turns hilarious and moving, thoughtful and madcap, Hell of a Book manages simultaneously to address momentous issues and ask pressing questions, while somehow remaining light on its feet, which is a hell of an accomplishment."
Darling at the Campsite (2021) Andy Abramowitz "Darling at the Campsite is a funny, warm, offbeat treasure about the families we don’t choose, and the search for identity. Abramowitz’s characters walk off the page."
Good Eggs (2021) Rebecca Hardiman "Good Eggs is a remarkably clear-eyed and surefooted debut; pure, unadulterated reading pleasure. Hardiman writes with great warmth, humor, and incisiveness about reinvention and the unique foibles of family."
To the Mountain (2021) Erik Raschke "A mercilessly taut, relentlessly thrilling tale of heartbreak and survival. Raschke writes with humanity and grace about the challenges of parenthood, and the rigors of the natural world."
The House of the Rising Sun (2020) Richard Cox "A relentlessly thrilling, and endlessly entertaining page-turner; the kind of book that keeps you up way past bedtime. Once again, Cox has written a well-oiled-machine of a novel."
The Big Finish (2020) Brooke Fossey "The Big Finish is a blast; at turns madcap, hilarious and touching. With the unlikely coupling of Duffy and Josie, Fossey has created an unforgettable duo that will win your heart and keep you laughing from start to finish."
Lake City (2019) Thomas Kohnstamm "Kohnstamm delivers a blistering, clear-eyed, and surefooted debut novel about the perils and pitfalls of misdirected ambition. More than that, Lake City is a hilarious and sneakily incisive examination of the cultural tensions, and widening class divides that simmer on the fringes of an increasingly homogenized Seattle?or San Francisco, or Brooklyn, or Los Angeles, or any other American city in the throes of affluenza and gentrification."
Shadow of the Lions (2017) Christopher Swann "A twisty tale that surprises at every turn, Shadow of the Lions will keep you turning pages compulsively into the wee hours, cursing Christopher Swann for the inconvenience."
The Hearts of Men (2017) Nickolas Butler "The Hearts of Men is a winning second novel, by turns wistful and wise, sad and funny, eminently readable, and always atmospheric. Without a doubt, Nickolas Butler is a young writer to watch."
Fathermucker (2011) Greg Olear "...a whip-smart, hilarious, and deeply moving meditation on fatherhood and marriage."
The Consequence of Skating (2010) Steven Gillis "Steven Gillis possesses that rarest of gifts, the voice that seems to flow effortlessly. This guy makes it look easy. Read the first three pages of The Consequence of Skating, and if you're not hooked, go see a doctor."
More recommendations
Books containing stories by Jonathan Evison
Days Like This Good Writers On Bad Luck, Bum Deals and Other Torments edited by Samantha Schoech
