by Victoria Skinner

Joe Cottonwood discussing his book at Women Wining About Books, a book club. Photo credit: Victoria Skinner

When Joe Cottonwood, longtime La Honda resident and author of nine books, came to my house for the meeting of my book club, Women Wining About Books, the club members were very excited. This was the first time in our 15-year existence that we had a “live” author come to speak. And what a treat it was!

The book club read Cottonwood’s latest novel, Clear Heart, which chronicles the story of Wally, a local contractor, former high school English teacher, and ex-drug addict. Wally lives in Redwood City near Costco, works on Skyline Boulevard and in Woodside, and has a love interest in Palo Alto. The local flavor makes for interesting reading in itself, but the novel has much more to recommend it.

Wally’s character is compelling and complex, but very, very real. Wally has  a code he lives by, which the characters in the book — Juke, his partner; Abe, the summer hire; FrogGirl, Wally’s “adopted” homeless, pregnant teenager; and his  entire crew — refer to as Wally’s Code or Law. Somehow that code lends itself to life as well. You could do worse than to follow Wally’s Laws, which include a prohibition on swearing. Law No. 12 is “Every house is a miracle.”

The characterization is what makes this book truly special. “Everyone knows a Juke,” according to Cottonwood. Juke is described by Opal, Wally’s love interest, as, “lanky, awkward like an overgrown kid, tongue-tied in the presence of unfamiliar women, nearly indecent wearing boots and cut off shorts, no shirt with red chest hair and vibrant tattoos. Not cute but … irresistibly sexy: strong, wild with the hint of danger, a stallion in need of a bridle.” Juke, apparently, has a hard time not seducing women, including Wally’s now-deceased wife.

Joe Cottonwood reading at Lit NIght at Sullivan's Restaurant in La Honda. Photo credit: Victoria Skinner.

Juke also has a hard time not swearing, but Wally doesn’t allow any foul language on his work sites, so Juke’s language is peppered with forkin’ this and forkin’ that. He is indignant if anyone else tries   to swear. For example, Abe, Opal’s 18-year-old son who has been accepted to Princeton, is hired onto the crew for the summer. Abe tries to swear and Juke tells him: “ ‘Shut the fork up! You want to embarrass your forkin’ crew? We’re a team here. You never swear. I don’t care if you drop a forkin’ wall on your toe, before you say “gosh darn” — before you even think it — you say “Request permission to swear, sir!” Got that?’ ”

Abe, renamed Princeton by the crew, is the main focus of the novel. Cottonwood says, “The book didn’t start out being about Abe, but he ended up being the main character.” He progresses from a geeky, awkward teenager, who buckles under the weight of the sacks of concrete that are thrown at him the first day on the job, to a man proud of his work, self-confident and a guide to others.

Another great part of the book is  the description of the inner workings  of a job site, and in particular a job called the K-palace being built in the Palo Alto hills — from the frustrations encountered with temperamental clients and the race to finish the job with pride to the Friday afternoon ritual of belt sander races. Who would have thought that a book about contractors would make such fascinating reading?

Cottonwood, a former contractor himself, says the story is a little autobiographical. When asked if Opal is modeled after his wife, he laughs and says, “My wife never lets me write about her.”

Clear Heart can be found at San Gregorio Store and online at Amazon.com. Or you can go to Lit Night at Sullivan’s Restaurant in La Honda, on the last Wednesday of every month, and pick the book up from the author himself.  He is almost always there.