Reviews of The Big Both Ways
"It's a thrilling journey. Straley's descriptions of the Pacific Northwest's wilderness circa 1935, and of the amazingly tough people who lived there, are sure-footed and deeply evocative. His depiction of the odd relationship between Slip and Ellie is equally skilled, and it keeps us nicely off-balance." --Seattle Times
" . . . something quite different, a story that's moving without being in the least bit sentimental and utterly absorbing in its realistic depiction of people made desperate by economic hardship. In fact, it would make an illuminating companion piece to Steinbeck's classic "The Grapes of Wrath" . . ." --Denver Post
"Straley's beautifully understated narrative, vivid sense of place and unapologetic, unadorned characters make this a riveting, unpredictable ride." --Publishers Weekly
". . . a rich tale . . . part mystery and part action-adventure . . . Straley hits all the right notes here: vividly detailed scenes . . . as well as almost Dickension vignettes of the working conditions in the canneries and on the waterfronts of the Northwest, meld perfectly with a Jack London–like, man-versus-nature story. If you want to read one novel about the Northwest at a crucial time in its history, read this one" -- Booklist