Today in the ArtZany Radio studio Paula Granquist welcomes author Christopher Johnston to discuss his new novel Where you Come From is Gone, a family story set in Northern Minnesota that explores the bonds, pride, legacy, and life cycles of these hard-working commercial fishermen and mink ranching farmers. These characters cope with the trials of rural life, the dangers at work and play, and the games of politics. This story and their struggles will leave a lasting impression.
Where Your Come From is Gone. In 1960, Pete Brennan returns from military service to northern Minnesota to work on his father’s commercial fishing boat. On his first day back, he learns that the fishing operation and the mink farm it supports are under threat from new technology, state legislators and animal rights activists. Facing personal injury and challenges to the family businesses, Pete must cope with his brother Wayne’s alcoholism, his brother Lance’s indifference, and his father’s declining health. Meanwhile, the women in the Brennan family must contend with the physical and emotional fallout from these men’s lives. As tensions rise, Pete’s son Jay is critically injured under Wayne’s son’s watch, forcing the entire family to confront their dilemmas and make difficult choices about their future.
Christopher Johnston has published short fiction, travel writing, performed as a storyteller on The Moth Mainstage, and writes Changing Gears on Substack. He worked for 35 years as an engineer and management consultant, which took him to rural communities with struggling businesses throughout North America and Europe. He was born and raised in Minnesota, where he grew up around the family fishing and mink ranching businesses. https://www.christopherjohnstonbooks.com
