Jane Goes North

by Joe R. Lansdale

Overview

From Edgar Award winner Joe R. Lansdale comes a laugh out loud road novel full of outrageous wit, driven by the power of storytelling as only Lansdale can offer.

Jobless, broke, and stuck in East Texas without wheels, Jane is desperate to attend her younger sister's wedding in Boston out of spite. She answers a ride share ad placed by a body building, cookie baking woman named Henrietta (Henry), with a literal wandering eye and a penchant for violence. Henry needs someone to drive her northeast where she claims there's a doctor who can fix her sight. In an unlikely alliance, Jane and Henry take to the road where they'll encounter numerous characters, including an octogenarian crime boss, a rascal riding thief, and a washed up country singer named Cheryl.

This incredible journey is a story of heart and quirky friendship at its finest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780986259487
Publisher:	Pandi Press
Publication date:	03/28/2023
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	680,834
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Joe R. Lansdale (Savage Season, The Donut Legion) is the internationally-bestselling author of over fifty novels, including the popular, long-running Hap and Leonard novels. Many of his works have been adapted for television and film, most famously the films Bubba Ho-Tep, The Thicket, Cold in July, and the Hap and Leonard series seen on Sundance TV and Netflix. Lansdale has written numerous screenplays and teleplays, including the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. He has won an Edgar Award for The Bottoms and ten Bram Stoker Awards, and he has been designated a World Horror Grandmaster. Lansdale, like many of his characters, lives in East Texas, with his wife, Karen.

Editorial Reviews

01/13/2020

When Jane Gardner, the jobless and broke 30-year-old protagonist of this humorous road novel from Edgar winner Lansdale (The Elephant of Surprise), resolves to travel from Texas to her snobbish sister’s wedding in New England, she answers a ride share ad posted by large, tough, crotchety Henrietta, who goes by the name Henry. Henry, who has one dead eye that wanders “as if drunk or drugged,” claims to be headed to Boston for an eye appointment and needs someone to be her chauffeur. With some reluctance, Jane obliges, and the mismatched pair set off on an unusual journey across America. Along the way, Jane and Henry battle disabled shoplifters, go on tour with a washed-up country singer, and get kidnapped by an octogenarian and her motley bunch of slavers. Outrageous wit, memorably quirky characters, and comical situations elevate the slight, somewhat ho-hum story, which works best as a gratifying tale of friendship. Fans of Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard crime novels won’t want to miss this one. Agent: Daniel Baror, Baror International. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2020

Jane is fired from her job at the laundry after she fails to remove a ketchup packet from a jacket. When her sister's wedding invitation arrives, she decides to make her way to New England from her Texas town, although she knows none of her sisters expect her to show up. She finds a ride share offer from Henrietta, a large woman who lifts weights and has one eye and a suspended license—but owns a car. The opinionated women immediately lock horns, but they end up driving toward Boston. Along the way, they face panty-snatchers in a 24-hour store, a thief in a motor-powered machine, and attempted kidnapping by modern-day slavers when they stop for gas. They manage to save themselves and a number of other women. The kindness of a liquor store clerk and a country music singer set Jane and Henry on the road north again. The escapades of these two outspoken women couldn't be any more outrageous. VERDICT Lansdale follows his latest "Hap and Leonard" installment, The Elephant of Surprise, with this over-the-top picaresque novel. The crude humor and quirky characters will appeal to the author's fans.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Library Journal