The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles, Gregory Hill
The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles, Gregory Hill
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The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles

Author: Gregory Hill

Narrator: Gregory Hill

Unabridged: 8 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/02/2016


Synopsis

Someone shot his dad. Something killed his horse. So...anybody wanna a drink?
Author Gregory Hill trades the mythos of the classic western for a psychological what-the-hell ride within a landscape of supernatural paranoia and cryptic humor.
It’s 1975 and cowboy Johnny Riles is a headcase. He’s depressed, he’s drunk, and he’s Lonesome as hell.
Left by his family to care for the ranch on his own, Johnny manages to keep the cattle alive while struggling to justify his own existence. Embittered by the success of his younger brother, Kitch, a professional basketball player, it is only thanks to a salt-dry sense of humor and a plentiful supply of whiskey that Johnny keeps himself above ground.
On really bad days, he scavenges for arrowheads on the other side of the river that doesn’t run. It calms him down, he says, to collect the old shards.
On one of these bad days, Johnny uncovers an artifact far older than an arrowhead. The relic will plunge him into the terrifying underworlds of the Great Plains, where pity and kindness are indistinguishable from despair.
ALERT! THIS NOVEL CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF: Cigarette smoking, whiskey consumption, claustrophobic situations, and a basketball game involving a character who was in no way inspired by the life of David Thompson. Also: twenty-eight instances of the word fuck.

Reviews

Goodreads review by C.D. on December 24, 2016

Dark and funny, imagery that I imagine will stick with me for a very long time. Characters are vibrant and the situations range from relatable to surreal. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The ending at first left me wanting, but after a short reflection I have come to terms with it. Better than the aut......more

Goodreads review by Mark on June 01, 2015

Words that come to mind about "The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles:" raw, untamed, gritty, bold, fantastic (in all its forms), spirited, lively and slightly, wonderfully crazy. "The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles" is unforgettable. When you see that title some years down the road you’ll think, “oh y......more

Goodreads review by Bob on April 28, 2016

I've lived in the community that Dorsey and Keaton is based on, so it's fun to read events happening in a setting where I can picture the entire background of the scene. Hill's books start out in that familiar landscape, but then spin, slowly at first, but faster toward the end, into a magic-realist......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on February 03, 2020

This new Western, taking place between Colorado's eastern plains and the big city of Denver, is realistically and brutally gritty. The land is harsh to Johnny, he is hard on himself, and his family doesn't help any either. The book moves from ironic humor to sudden violence and long suffering, and t......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on April 28, 2015

I really fell for poor Johnny, alone on his ranch while his younger brother enjoys the high life as a professional basketball player. Unfortunately, the ending was a deal-breaker. I don't require a happy ending to enjoy a book, but this really left me hanging. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss f......more