"Newport Blues - A Salesman's Lament"

George Byron Wright's novel, "Newport Blues - A Salesman's Lament," is another book I picked up off my library's "good pick" display. It looked interesting to me just reading the back cover plus it's set along the Oregon coast -- one of my favorite places and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the coastal towns along with Sidney. Sidney Lister was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by his high school class but that nor his marriage to Ellie Conway two years out of high school panned out. When Sidney didn't succeed, Ellie moved on after ten years of marriage to richer pastures. Now that she's widowed they maintain separate residences but hook up for sex when it suits both of them. Since Ellie never wanted children, they both remain unencumbered and Sidney works as a shipping clerk for Beeman's International after having failed at different types of sales jobs. However, when Jonesy Jones, Beeman's salesperson drops dead, Sidney is forced to fill his shoes and head down the Oregon coast informing Jonesy's customers of his death and taking orders for Beeman's. He's given the company Cadillac that Jonesy used and a couple of credit cards that he has to be careful not to max out then told to be frugal. The story is really what Sidney learns about Jonesy (a man he didn't really know) as he travels down the coast. The reactions to Jonesy's death are varied but for the most part he has strongly impacted the lives of his customers and, as the stories are revealed to Sidney, he begins to get a sense of who Jonesy was. In the meantime, he's running from some trouble of his own that threatens to cost him his life and to complicate matters he runs into a high school classmate in Newport who he lusted after from afar in high school. He "knew" she outclassed him and he never stood a chance with her then but, as they become acquainted in a way they never could have in high school, the trips down memory lane reveal some truths about both of them they must face. Jonesy's death may have been the best thing that ever happened to Sidney because his life it is a changing! pazt