A Review of the Book "Jonny Appleseed" by Joshua Whitehead

Title: Jonny Appleseed

Author: Joshua Whitehead

Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press

Year: 2021

219 pages

Summary from the Back: Off the rez and trying to find ways to live, love, and survive in the big city, Jonny has one week before he must return to his home - and his former life - to attend the funeral of his stepfather. The seven days that follow are like a fevered dream: stories of love, trauma, sex, kinship, ambition, and heartbreaking recollections of his beloved kokum (grandmother). Jonny's life is a series of breakages, appendages, and linkages - and as he goes through the motions of preparing to return home, he learns how to put together the pieces of his life.

Personal Thoughts: Since it's publication, I have heard many good things about Jonny Appleseed and it has been on my to-read list for a very long time. I'm not sure what took me so long to get around to reading it, but I finally did and my reaction is that it was nothing like what I was expecting. It was, however, completely worth the wait.

First, I didn't clue in to the fact that Joshua Whitehead is from Manitoba. Reading familiar names and places as I read the story made for an interesting familiarity, especially when the main character was in Winnipeg. I always find it interesting when stories contain places I know because it seems to engage my imagination even that much more, knowing what places actually look like in real life and then reading about them in the pages of the book.

Second, I absolutely loved the dipping in and out of the past as Whitehead talked about the present. I know that some people find that type of writing to get confusing, but this book wasn't like that at all. Perhaps it was just how it was written, but going back to the past in order to understand what's happening in the present worked great in this book. Jonny Appleseed is a fiction novel but is written as if it could be a biography, so it makes you wonder how much was truth and how much was fiction. If this story is based on Whitehead's actual life events, it makes the book even more powerful.

The last bit of unexpectedness around Jonny Appleseed is the extremely descriptive nature of the writing. While there is nothing of the sort indicated on the book itself, I give you a content warning here. I didn't take any issue with what was written, but it is surprising if you're not expecting it. If you struggle to read books of a sexual nature, that contain suicidal thoughts and actions, or that touches deeply on the harsh reality of the treatment of Indigenous people in Manitoba, make sure you prepare yourself before reading this book.

I highly recommend Jonny Appleseed as it is extremely well-written and captivating. I loved Joshua Whitehead's ability to grab my attention and keep it through the entire book. I hope he continues writing as I would love to read more of his work.