A new book by island author Jesse Edward Johnson, “The King of Nothing Much,” has just been published by Paul Dry Books.
“The King of Nothing Much,” Johnson’s second novel, is a story about parenthood in a time of transition.
Weldon Tines, 41, is a stay-at-home dad who has outlived his usefulness in the role. His twins — Danny and Reese — have just started kindergarten, and his older daughter Presley wants nothing to do with him. His wife makes enough money for the family to live on.
Newly rudderless, Weldon struggles to understand his purpose on this earth. Who is it that can tell him who he is? When Weldon slides gleefully down an inflatable slide at a child’s birthday party, only to come crashing into the birthday boy, he thinks he’s just made a mistake that will lead only to hassle and headache. Instead, it kick-starts a quest for personal discovery that culminates in a dramatic flourishing of Weldon’s deep-seated heroism.
The book has been called “a bighearted riff on masculine anxiety,” by Booklist.
Johnson is both a writer and an artist. His first novel, “Yearbook,” was published by Paul Dry Books in 2017. He has a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, where he taught literature for five years. He has taught at Hugo House in Seattle and at San Quentin Prison.
For more information about Johnson’s work and ongoing projects, visit jesseedwardjohnson.com. The new book, due out in April, will be available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, independent stores and as an eBook.
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