Page 24 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2021

buzz | tidbits
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BOOK PICKS
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SUMMER OF SMOKE
BY JOSH GROSS

ummer of Smoke, Ashland
Swriter and performer Josh
Gross’ new novel is a comedic
coming of age story set against
Oregon’s wildfire season. It fol-
lows the four-member Gilbert
family, each struggling in their
own way to cope with linger-
ing smoke from a nearby for-
est fire. Each chapter is from a
different character's point-of-
view, weaving multiple threads
as the family unravels. All are
at war with the weather, each
other, and with their fractur-
ing senses of self and order to
the universe. By summer's end,
nothing remains the same.

Greg, the father, so depressed he barely gets out of bed, chooses to
haunt online conspiracy forums about why the fire hasn’t been extin-
guished. Lina, the mother, tries to volunteer at various charities to
alleviate her guilt over the state of the environment, but consistently
ditches to smoke pot. Daughter Emma, recently returned from col-
lege as a vegan eco-radical, spends her evenings in campaigns of petty
sabotage directed at anyone over thirty for their complicity in climate
change. High school age son, Shannon, seeks literal escape in a job as
trail guide to a Bigfoot seeker in mountains beyond the smoke’s reach,
but finds the trips in and out of the smoke begin to warp his sense of
reality.

Inspired by Oregon’s 2018’s summer “smokepocalypse” in the Rogue
Valley, the novel tells the Oregon story as never before. Included
are 25 original fine art charcoal illustrations by Ashland artist Aubry
Hollingshead.

The book's embeddable video trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPTrFpB_NPw
www.TheJoshGross.org

22 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2021