"The life of a young man, John Howard, at times heroic, at times comic, a person who tries, in the small ways he can, to make his life better."
Emotional, painful and often sensual, The Way UP follows the trials and tribulations of John Howard, a 26-year-old law school graduate who works through family tragedy, turbulent relationships, and an unexpected series of career changes. Jones' complex characters come to life in The Way Up, as Howard comes to grip with his ever-changing reality in this intriguing and dramatic tale.
“Norm Arnstein has never been married. For more than three decades he has pined for his sister-in-law, Bev. She is, Norm believes, a kind of prisoner to both her marriage and the place she lives. His brother Bruce, the mayor of a small town, spends most of his time hunting and fishing. Left alone, Bev reads novels and magazines, like the many New Yorkers Norm has brought during his visits. He goes whenever he can to western Pennsylvania, on the edge of the Great Valley, Issactown, where the story begins.”
I felt suddenly the kind of nausea felt in a small boat, when on high seas with someone you hate you're tempted to dive off, let nature decide. I soon would be that person, and though larger than the metaphorical boat I envisioned, our house in Spring Branch would be, as it was before I left, buffeted by the more powerful, more lasting storms, those of emotion, the only calm, my mother.