Journeyman

Nolan Jackson earns his living as a journeyman carpenter and has never been one to settle down. In 2007, as American troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, he moves from job to job across California, framing tract houses for developers. A serious accident at a worksite in Las Vegas, where he has been staying for a while, leaves him shaken and pushes him to abandon the loose connections he has built there. He sets out westward, aiming for the coast.

His route takes him through the town where his brother lives, and a run of unforeseen circumstances keeps him there longer than he planned. With his trailer and tools gone, he has to start over, and the novel follows him as he tries to lay the groundwork for a more stable life.