Froelich's Ladder

"This is the author’s Oz. It’s his Wonderland. Over it all, the ladder looms."? Brian Juenemann, Eugene Register-GuardTwo brothers spend their lives caretaking an immense wooden ladder so their uncle can live safely on its upper rungs, where he tends tiny herb gardens and uses his knuckles for tapping impertinent messages to his nephews below.When Froelich disappears, astonishing the brothers who have only ever known him as a demanding presence in the sky, this tall tale of a debut novel plunges into the wilderness of nineteenth century Oregon Country, populated with hardscrabble immigrants, Civil War veterans, a wealthy merchant whose strong-willed niece keeps escaping her guarded tower, and an innkeeper’s daughter who disguises herself as a boy to protect her family. As the characters set off in search of their individual American dreams, they become unlikely allies in a wet, lush landscape fraught with murderers, shoals of hungry clouds, and the occasional circus menagerie.Jamie Duclos-Yourdon’s impeccably paced debut is a rollicking comedy packed with magic, old-fashioned mayhem, and plenty of heart.