Walking Man Books: West of Wanting (ePub)

A family's secret, a pair of young, weatherbeaten brothers, and the long and desolate miles before them.

When the death of their beloved mother saddles the Copeland brothers with a staggering family secret, Jack and Lester decide they have no choice but to set out on horseback toward answers that lie hundreds of miles away. Their saddlebags packed, their hats pulled low, they leave behind the dust bowl ranch that has grown little besides family. Along their westward pilgrimage, in desperate search of answers, the Copeland boys soon realize the Nebraska skies they had grown under were only the gods washing their brushes and mixing their palettes before painting the skies over Wyoming. As the mountains begin to rise above the horizon, so too do the hopes of the forsaken brothers.

At once honest, comical, and sorrowful, West of Wanting paints a panoramic landscape so vivid readers will wish the Copelands would adjourn their search and make their camp in the plains and foothills many nights longer. The brothers, energetic and candid, propel this story forward as they near the western meccas they long to find. The tale gallops, taking readers along on the brothers' journey with astonishing twists and a stunning cast of characters. But the Copeland family, and especially the young cowboys, will stay with readers long after their story has been told.

With prose akin to Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx, mingled with the humor of Lonesome Dove, Jared Reinert has written a beautiful western, a coming of age tale, and a family drama. But foremost, West of Wanting is a novel about kindness, the value of home, and, above all, the power of brotherhood.