Jonny Appleseed – Joshua Whitehead

100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Jonny needs to get back to the “rez” for his stepfather’s funeral, but he needs money to get there. His journey to earning that cash will make him explore the memories of how he got to where he is today.

Expectation: For some reason I thought this was a young adult read.

Reality: This is anything but young adult. It’s a raw and painful story that has a fair amount of hope sprinkled in.

Recommended For: Fans of high-brow gay literature and people trying to expand their reading to more diverse voices.

Why I Read It: It had been on my TBR list for a year, but with November being Native American Heritage Month, the time felt right to explore this one.

My Take:

“Jonny Appleseed” is a raw, immersive experience that adds an additional dimension of pain to Indigenous stories that are already rife with injustice. Yet, Joshua Whitehead brings a strong sense of love to our title character, which makes this the rare challenging read that also leaves you feeling hopeful.

This was my first exposure to literature that featured a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer character, and similar to Ocean Vuong’s phenomenal “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” it’s an eye-opener to the cultural nuances and variations of queer experiences.

Whitehead starts his story with a slap to the face to let you know this isn’t going to be for the faint of heart. And while he eases up on you from time-to-time there’s an unsettled tone throughout. I kept waiting for tragedy, but the reality is there were already too many to choose from.  

Jonny’s left the “rez,” but he’s scraping by as a sex worker — mostly through Snapchat but sometimes in person — who uses his gender fluidity and chameleon-esque personality to charm, and sometimes manipulate, the men of Winnipeg.

His stepfather has died, and he needs to make it back home to support his mother. This starts a several days binge of cybersex shows that will push him physically and emotionally to the limit but hopefully provide enough cash to make the trip.

While there’s a central plot, the story is more cerebral and stream of consciousness than matter of fact as Jonny reminisces about the experiences that have shaped him. From his beloved kokum (grandmother) to his first love and the anonymous men in between, he’s navigated the world by being alternately seen and unseen.

In a little more than 200-pages, it’s a multi-layered tale of regret, heartbreak and hope that is easily among the best queer-themed literature I read this year. Plus, Whitehead never shies away from the tough moments and language that make Jonny feel authentic.

While this has been on my TBR list for more than a year, it has been getting renewed interest in North America as winner of the 2021’s Canada Reads competition. If you’re looking for a truly unique Indigenous voice in the stories you read, here it is. I hope it signals that Whitehead is someone we’ll be reading for decades to come.

My biggest complaints are that sometimes the narrative shifts between past and present weren’t smooth, and whenever Jonny shared the page with someone else (outside of his kokum) for too long, the story lost some of its power.

As an audiobook, it is narrated by the author. While he’s not a professional actor, I appreciated the authenticity, and found his narration to be more solid than soft. 

Rating (story): 4/5 stars

Rating (narration): 3.5/5 stars

Formats: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: November 14, 2021

Multi-tasking: Okay. I mostly did yardwork while listening but there are some sections you really want to experience fully.