{"product_id":"the-last-huck-9781615998050","title":"The Last Huck","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the U.P. Notable Books Award (2024)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck\u003c\/em\u003e stands out as one of the most impressive debut novels of this decade.\" --Joseph D. Haske, author of\u003cem\u003e North Dixie Highway\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJakob, Niklas and Peter Kinnunen grew up playing together on their family's berry farm on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's U.P. The three of them inherit the land when their beloved uncle passes away, but Jakob goes to prison and Peter, who goes broke during the 2008 financial crash, calls Niklas and suggests they sell the land for fast cash. Niklas fights back against Peter, but Peter convinces Niklas to take a trip up north, from their homes in Milwaukee, to visit the place and get closure. Haunted by their childhoods and the absence of their beloved Jakob, they spend the weekend drinking, fighting, reminiscing and trying to figure out whether or not to sell. Woven together with moments going back four generations, \u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck \u003c\/em\u003eis the saga of a family ravaged by time and modernity, yet holding on to one another for dear life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"...an honest, absorbing, and ultimately redemptive saga with the expansive reach of Steinbeck, the spare immediacy of Carver, and the relentless plot and slashing irony of Franzen. It reads at times like like a fairy tale and at times like a dispatch from the cultural front lines, where young men must navigate the roughness and tenderness required to be fully human in modern times.\" -- George F. Lewis, \u003cem\u003eDaily Mining Gazette\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In his first novel, J.D. Austin vividly captures the painful conflicts among the young men as they spend one last weekend in a place that were the scenes of their happiest childhood memories.\" --Jon C. Stott, author, \u003cem\u003e Summers at the Lake: Upper Michigan Moments and Memories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"We are a large country with many regional literatures. I find the analogy between the 19th-century regional novel and J.D. Austin's \u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck \u003c\/em\u003eprovocative and literate.\" -Donald M. Hassler, Professor Emeritus of English, Kent State University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The adventure that ensues not only immediately draws the reader in, but does so in a fashion that makes it virtually impossible to put the book down. It is always a joy for seasoned sojourners to witness young talent, such as J. D. Austin, blossom and flourish as we pass through this life.\" --Michael Carrier (MA NYU), author, \u003cem\u003eJack Handler \u003c\/em\u003eMurder Mysteries \/ Hardboiled Thrillers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck \u003c\/em\u003estands out as one of the most impressive debut novels of this decade. The characters, sardonic, clever, and intensely authentic, efficaciously propel Austin's masterful narrative through the backdrop of Michigan's Upper Peninsula like skate blades cutting Lake Superior ice in late winter. With this splendid, unforgettable, first effort, J.D. Austin proves himself a name to watch out for in American letters.\" --Joseph D. Haske, author of \u003cem\u003eNorth Dixie Highway\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"From the first sentence, you know this novel was written by a master. And \u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck\u003c\/em\u003e happens to be J.D. Austin's first literary novel; add to that, Austin real young.His deep characterizations, strange and haunting plot, and his words (Oh, those elegant, rugged words!) boggled my mind. Talented? You better believe it. This is a guy to watch, maybe with a touch of envy, but mostly with an ecstatic realization that we've just added a giant to the ranks of Midwest authors the likes of Jim Harrison, Charles Baxter, Bonnie Jo Campbell, and Stuart Dybek.\" --Sue Harrison, author of \u003cem\u003eMother Earth Father Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJ.D. AUSTIN \u003c\/strong\u003ehas resided in the Keweenaw since 2019. He has worked as a kayak guide, ski technician and stage carpenter, among other vocations. Austin's fiction has appeared in The Incandescent Review and U.P. Reader Vol. 7. \u003cem\u003eThe Last Huck \u003c\/em\u003eis his first nove\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-2591103\"\u003eJ. D. Austin\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Modern History Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/12\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.46d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781615998050\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1615998055\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC019000\"\u003eLiterary\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC066000\"\u003eSmall Town \u0026amp; Rural\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC045020\"\u003eFamily Life | Siblings\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Modern History Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48459774263533,"sku":"9781615998050","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/files\/img_7afb8adf-b3fe-40b5-9936-93194d228e4a.jpg?v=1753648437","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/the-last-huck-9781615998050","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}