Eat and Get Gas - by J a Wright (Paperback)

About the Book

When Evan's older brother gets drafted to Vietnam, her mother takes him to Canada, leaving Evan and her younger, special needs brother with their army-officer father--who, unwilling to shoulder the burden of caring for his own kids, takes them to Eat and Get Gas, their grandmother's roadside café and home.

Book Synopsis

2024 BookLife Prize for Fiction Winner
2023 Sarton Award for Fiction (YA)

Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what's going on--at least, that's how it feels. Her father, Gene, who's been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn't around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy.

When he realizes Endura isn't returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother's café and gas station in Hoquiam, Washington. There, as well as her no-nonsense but loving grandma, Evan encounters Aunt Vivian, a teasing but caring know-it-all; Uncle Frankie, injured in Vietnam and suffering from PTSD; Paco, the draft dodger Frankie is hiding; Hal and Hubert, the strange but gentle next-door neighbors who play the piano like virtuosos and help out when they're needed; and Louanne, Frankie's reserved, sensitive sister. She is drawn in particular to Louanne, who was disfigured by a car accident that killed the rest of her and Frankie's family.

At Eat and Get Gas, Evan finds a new freedom, and she starts to carve out a place for herself by helping in the café and sorting mail for Uncle Frankie, who runs a postal route in addition to running the gas station. She eventually, too, learns some of the family secrets she's been kept in the dark about--and comes to understand that her mother isn't coming back any time soon.

Then, after reading a letter that wasn't meant for her, Evan discovers the biggest secret of all.

Review Quotes

2024 BookLife Prize Winner in Fiction
2024 IPPY Awards Gold Winner in West Pacific Fiction
2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards Winner in the Somerset Book Awards
2023 Sarton Awards Winner: Young Adult

"Tender moments of genuine connection mix with hard truths in Eat and Get Gas, a poignant coming-of-age novel in which a teenager from a complicated family forges new, life-giving bonds."
--Foreword Reviews

"J.A. Wright's second novel reprises her brilliance in creating the authentic voice of a young narrator who grips the reader in a story that is often painful but always mesmerizing . . . . The writing is lean and penetrating, with enough depth to allow the reader to feel Evan's hopes and dreams along with the searing pain of a young girl taking command of her challenging life. Evan's resilience and emerging grace is a balm amidst the wounded world she comes from, and Eat and Get Gas is a welcome antidote to the unremitting pessimism of our time."
--Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of award-winning author of Even in Darkness and Hard Cider

"J.A. Wright's uncanny ability to place the reader at the very center of 13-year-old Evan's head captured me, from page one. Evoking 1970's America and the long reach of the Vietnam War, Evan's confused, loyal, angry, lonely, and forgiving coming-of-age as she finds her place in the heart of a colorful cast of characters at 'Eat and Get Gas' kept me from sleep right up to the perfectly pitched ending."
--Jenni Ogden, award-winning author of A Drop in the Ocean and Call My Name

"Storytelling at its best, Eat And Get Gas grabs the reader from page one and doesn't let go. Daily, life confirms for Evan that people can disappoint us even when they love us. But she has three things going for her: soothing music from the pianists next door, the skating rink, and a honeybee bracelet. The unexpected twist at the end is oh-so-worth the wait!"
--Laurie Buchanan, author of the Sean McPherson novels

"It's 1972 and thirteen-year-old Evan has her hands full. Her old brother is a draft dodger; her mother is ill; her baby brother has a learning disability; and her father, a Vietnam vet, has another family overseas. When Evan's mother and brother head for Canada, Evan's father takes her to his family home in Hoquiam, Washington. As she waits for her mother's return, surrounded by a cast of quirky characters and damaged adults, Evan learns a new definition of family, the cost of untold secrets, and the value of her burgeoning self-esteem. A powerful story about a sad chapter in America's history that is thoroughly modern, relevant, and inspiring."
--Anne Leigh Parrish, author of An Open Door

"Eat and Get Gas is a compelling and affecting read that highlights experiences I haven't often seen in fiction. This masterful study of family acts as a microcosm of Vietnam War-era America and expresses extremely well the way the trauma of this war reverberates deeply and widely. The book hums with a deep sense of love, in complicated and sometimes painful situations, and describes a group of people loving each other in ways that are complicated and poignant."
--Pip Adam, author of Nothing to See, The New Animals, I'm Working on a Building, and the short-story collection Everything We Hoped For

"Great cast of characters, a compelling story, and convincingly told."
--Joe Bennett, New Zealand columnist and travel writer

Past Praise for the author, for How to Grow An Addict:

2016 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS - WINNER IN ADDICTION & RECOVERY
2016 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS (NIEA)- WINNER IN ADDICTION & RECOVERY
2016 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS (IPPY)- BRONZE MEDAL -- LITERARY FICTION
2015 FOREWARD REVIEWS INDIEFAB BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS HONORABLE MENTION FOR GENERAL FICTION
2015 USA BEST BOOK AWARDS FINALIST FOR GENERAL FICTION

"Wright deftly and insightfully describes how a life can spiral toward addiction and rehab. The story is raw and touching and I found myself rooting for Randall as she navigates redemption and sobriety. A gritty and honest read."
--Susie Orman Schnall, award-winning author of On Grace and The Balance Project

"Wright dares to stomp where others only lightly tread, and does so with grace, craft, and an unusual ease. This is not a sob story about abuse, damage, and addiction, it's a story of how bravery, self-recognition, and the desire for happiness slap the former in the face and gleam with hope. A great read and lesson for anyone who's been there, hopes to get elsewhere, or simply needs to read a story that resonates."
--Maria Kostaki, author of Pieces: A Novel

About the Author

J.A. Wright was raised in the Pacific Northwest and moved to New Zealand in 1990. She is the founder and director of the World Buskers Festival (1994-2014), and the New Zealand Jazz and Blues Festival (1997-present). With more than thirty years in recovery from drug addiction, she's been crafting this novel for years.