Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction!
Seven ordinary lives are changed by their extraordinary relationships with a little green Jeep in Of Metal and Earth, a tale of restoration and redemption.
In 1964, James survives a fierce early battle in the Vietnam War by hiding beneath his Jeep. When he returns to the small town of Elk River, he is emotionally paralyzed and with nothing to fight for, turns to the only salvation he knows and buys a little green Jeep of his own.
Car trouble outside of town leads him to a farm where he finds more than just the tools to fix his Jeep. He finds a job, contentment, and Claire. Getting to know the farm's elderly owners was one thing, but Claire jeopardizes the seclusion he relies on and he must confront a part of himself that he thought he'd lost forever first when he is forced to work with her and again when they start a family.
But soon, the life they built is threatened. James could lose Claire and everything he loves forever, and he must seek salvation once more - in the form of his little green Jeep.
Over the next thirty years, the Jeep changes hands, passing between friends, family, strangers, and lovers. A single mother who buys a car for her reckless son nearly destroys a friendship with a man who silently loved her for two decades. An insecure youth at the start of his career learns that the most important lessons are the ones you never set out to learn. A family torn apart by their differences finds that love can be the hardest road to take. And a city architect must choose between the easy way to restoration or a difficult path that could save far more than just a rusty old Jeep.
Of Metal and Earth is an emotional journey of car ownership, a must read book for modern and classic automotive enthusiasts and the perfect gift for anyone who loves books about the resiliency of the human spirit.
Of Metal and Earth manages to be artfully written, contemporary and literary, without becoming pompous or looking down upon the reader. The writing is straightforward and easy to read, allowing you to fall into the characters and story, and before you realize it, it'll have its hooks in you. The characters are the most important element of any story, for me, and the slices of life that Lane chooses to show--when a little green Jeep intersects their life--illustrates each character beautifully. The Jeep affects each person differently as they struggled through their particular trials, sometimes playing matchmaker, sometimes teacher, sometimes sitting neglected while acorns and rust fill the interior. The Jeep is just as much a character as the people, and threads everyone else together in a story of love, loss, self-discovery, compassion, and reconciliation.
I highly recommend this book. A beautiful read.
I was lucky enough to read this during a beta swap, and was wowed by the novel! (I did not receive any compensation for this read, and believe me, I don't enjoy every beta swap nearly this much.)
I don't read a lot of litfic anymore but this was a gorgeous, heartfelt novel with a really unusual structure. Maybe I should get back into the genre! The writing is stunning, too, and that always matters to me (as a reader).
Trying to avoid spoilers so--the story follows a chain of people as James' Jeep passes from person to person, connecting their interweaving stories which they each document in a black binder (that also keeps the Jeep's records) before passing on to the next owner. The story follows the threads that connect us as individuals--because we are always more tightly bound than we realise--and plays out the ways in which redemption manifests for different people.
Of Metal and Earth ranked as #1 Best Seller in its category on Amazon.
Named a finalist in Outstanding Literary / General Fiction by the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards for 2018.
Of Metal and Earth by Jennifer M. Lane has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of the best indie books of 2019.Jennifer’s book is winner of the First Novel (70,000 to 90,000 words) category in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world’s largest not-for-profit book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors.The book follows seven owners of a 1964 Jeep CJ-5 as their lives are changed by their encounter with the car.“A little green jeep means so much in so many ways. It is symbolic of war, adventure, reliability, break down and visual wear and tear. Author Lane uses restoration and maintenance to set its chronological journey through seven title holders,” said Jill E. Bemix, Next Generation Indie Book Awards Judge.“As with the jeep, its owners are flawed and at risk of total failure at any time. Lane draws the reader deeply into human frailty, imperfect relationships, and everyday obstacles as the title passes from one person to another. How the jeep is treated is tied closely to its owners' flawed relationships, status in society, and decision-making ability. She flawlessly blends love, loss, emotional healing, self-sacrifice, and generosity in this well-paced imaginative look at human nature. It will leave readers wondering what their vehicles would say about them and be grateful vehicles cannot talk.”
