Froelich's Ladder - Paperback

by Jamie Duclos-Yourdon (Author)

When Froelich disappears from the fourth-tallest ladder in the world, his nephew's quest to find him interlaces with the journeys of two spunky young women who outwit their guardians. In a Wild West populated with immigrants, skittish Civil War veterans, hungry clouds, a circus menagerie, and a few murderers, this fairy-tale twist on the American dream explores the conflict between loyalty and ambition, and the need for connection, even at the highest rungs.

Front Jacket

This is the author's Oz. It's his Wonderland. Over it all, the ladder looms.
- Brian Juenemann, Eugene Register-Guard

Two 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.

Back Jacket

Froelich nurses a decades-old family grudge from his permanent perch atop a giant ladder in this nineteenth century madcap adventure novel. When he disappears suddenly, his nephew embarks on a rain-soaked adventure across the Pacific Northwest landscape to find him, accompanied by an ornery girl with a most unfortunate name. In their encounters with Confederate assassins, European expatriates, and a general store magnate, this fairytale twist on the American dream explores the conflicts between loyalty and ambition and our need for human connection, even at the highest rungs.

Author Biography

Jamie Duclos-Yourdon, a freelance editor and technical expert based in Portland, Oregon, received his bachelor's degree from Colby College, and his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. His short fiction has appeared in the Alaska Quarterly Review, Chicago Literati, and others, and he has contributed essays and interviews to Booktrib. Froelich's Ladder is his debut novel.