Julip 

Jim Harrison 

Paperback. 

In three tantalizing novellas, Jim Harrison takes us on a quintessentially American journey--from the fishing waters of the South, to the hunting woods of the North, to the cattle ranches of the West--as he leads us through the wondrous landscape of the human heart.  "Julip" follows a bright and resourceful young woman as she tries to spring her brother from a Florida jail--he shot three of her former lovers "below the belt."  "The Seven-Ounce Man" continues the picaresque adventures of Brown Dog, a Magician scoundrel who loves to eat, drink, and chase women to excess, all while sailing along in the bottom ten percent.  "The Beige Dolorosa" is the haunting tale of an academic recovering from the repercussions of a sexual harassment scandal, who turns to the natural world for solace.  In each of these stories, the irresistable pull of nature becomes a magnificent backdrop for exploring the toughest questions about life and love. 

Julip is an admirably realized woman character. I feature she must have followed a bet from a woman friend who said it couldn’t be done. It is quite a feat given that it has rarely been accomplished in American literature.