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A Road Wanting Wear
Four young men, four motorcycles, one open road. Adventure and tragedy await a group of friends as they ride along the desolate, small-town landscape of the American Southwest. Leaving their cell phones behind, the group makes a decision to live in the present and embrace the open road and all it brings. Not always getting along between themselves, or with others, each member of the group struggles over the question of what really matters in life, and when secrets come to light the pressure builds among the riders to stay together as a group.
The riders-Jordan Wryte, a driven man determined to build something of his life with his own business; his brother, Steven Wryte, just out of college who cannot decide what he wants to do now; Michael Case, Jordan's best friend who hides a childhood background of abuse; and Derek Connor, wild and unpredictable, driven by a horror that makes him contemplate dying every day-roll through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.
The four young men reach a breaking point near the end of the trip, and when it seems everything might work out after all, a tragedy strikes that changes all four forever.
The riders-Jordan Wryte, a driven man determined to build something of his life with his own business; his brother, Steven Wryte, just out of college who cannot decide what he wants to do now; Michael Case, Jordan's best friend who hides a childhood background of abuse; and Derek Connor, wild and unpredictable, driven by a horror that makes him contemplate dying every day-roll through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.
The four young men reach a breaking point near the end of the trip, and when it seems everything might work out after all, a tragedy strikes that changes all four forever.
234 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2023
1 person want to read
About the author
David Grant Urban
2 books17 followersDavid Grant Urban is an award-winning author and San Diego native who has done a little of everything in life, but prefers writing most of all.
His debut novel, a literary noir thriller titled "A Line Intersected," has won several awards, including:
-2018 IAN Book of the Year Award Finalist
-2018 American Fiction Awards Finalist
-2018 Readers Favorite Finalist
–2018 Florida Book Festival Runner Up
-2018 Wishing Shelf Awards Finalist
-2018 Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention
-2018 Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention
–2018 New England Book Festival Honorable Mention
-2018 London Book Festival Honorable Mention
At nineteen he bicycled border to border and lived briefly in Vancouver, Canada, before traveling coast to coast by train several times. Out of money, he lived and worked in New Orleans for a year before returning home.
Back in San Diego he lived aboard a sailboat a few years, started a chemical compounding firm, worked his way through college, and spent far too many years working in retail.
He lives in San Marcos, California, and is quietly at work on another novel and a volume of short stories.
His debut novel, a literary noir thriller titled "A Line Intersected," has won several awards, including:
-2018 IAN Book of the Year Award Finalist
-2018 American Fiction Awards Finalist
-2018 Readers Favorite Finalist
–2018 Florida Book Festival Runner Up
-2018 Wishing Shelf Awards Finalist
-2018 Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention
-2018 Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention
–2018 New England Book Festival Honorable Mention
-2018 London Book Festival Honorable Mention
At nineteen he bicycled border to border and lived briefly in Vancouver, Canada, before traveling coast to coast by train several times. Out of money, he lived and worked in New Orleans for a year before returning home.
Back in San Diego he lived aboard a sailboat a few years, started a chemical compounding firm, worked his way through college, and spent far too many years working in retail.
He lives in San Marcos, California, and is quietly at work on another novel and a volume of short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 8, 2024
An impromptu summertime motorcycle tour of the southwest United States proposed during a poker game quickly comes to fruition for three men from San Diego. A reluctant fourth, first person narrator Jordan Wryte, has been there and done that. He also doesn't ride anymore and his neglected ride is in no condition for such a trip. Then there's his modest chemical product business, which he intends to expand with the help of his younger brother, once Steven graduates from university.
But that's months away and Steven's one of the three going. Also, Jordan's business is still small, it can survive his absence for a week or two. Piqued by Steven's classmate, Derek, who immediately rubs Jordan the wrong way, then encouraged by his friend, Michael—the other two riders—Jordan invests the funds to resurrect his Harley. He not only joins them, but as the elder takes the leadership role for this itinerary-less expedition. Armed with his personal recollections and a Frommer's guidebook, Jordan is the right choice practically, as well as spiritually when he convinces everyone to leave their cell phones behind to truly experience the escapist freedom of the open road.
From San Diego the four men venture east and the trip takes them through Arizona and into New Mexico and Nevada before coming back to California. Having travelled through the southwest United States, albeit by car, the idea of such an adlibbed trip makes me envious and want to return. Indeed, the best parts of the story occur while on the road, sometimes given with a Hemingway-esque delivery. I often paused during chapter breaks to track their progress on online maps.
But this is a novel, not a travelogue, so naturally they stop at interesting places, where dramas occur. While the dramas are fictionalized, most if not all the hotels, motels, bars, restaurants, and other stops along the way are actual places. Many have colourful names, such as Big Nose Kate's in Tombstone, and Losers Lounge in Laughlin, Nevada. The encounters with locals and each other are as colourful and include flirtations, fights, arguments, a family visit, and other incidents even more distressing.
As I said, the best parts are when they are moving on the road and the rest isn't as successful. This is a short novel but it took a long time before they got going. Throughout there is a lot of polite and predictable filler dialogue that if omitted could improve the story. The same goes for the inclusion of mundane details like filling a soda cup with ice first at a convenience store, or step by step morning ablutions. Or redundant explanations such as when it's clear Jordan and Michael will stay the night at Michael's relative while the other two must get a motel room, only to have pointed out when the time comes that it had been discussed earlier. As if these are direct transcriptions of notes rather than creative prose.
Nothing about the characters, except Derek, struck me as particularly magnetic, but more often than not they are the targets of flirtation or become the life of the party at a bar or diner. This could be due to a semi-reliable narrator's exaggerations, but one would expect that from Derek, not Jordan who, while a bit of a hothead, quick to take offence, and ready to fight like Derek, is older and comes across as no-nonsense.
The increasing tension between Derek and Jordan, who have more in common than they'd likely concede, provides an effective suspense element to the story, just as the narrator's introspective passages provide balance. Both complement the sense of movement of their journey through some wonderful scenery while soul searching and revealing closet skeletons. In a way paralleling how A Road Wanting Wear with its smooth moments interspersed by bumpier ones.
NOTE: The e-Book provided for this review seemed rapidly assembled, possibly to service reviewers, because the novel is only available in paperback as of early January, 2024. The sample excerpt for that paperback on Amazon looks fine.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
But that's months away and Steven's one of the three going. Also, Jordan's business is still small, it can survive his absence for a week or two. Piqued by Steven's classmate, Derek, who immediately rubs Jordan the wrong way, then encouraged by his friend, Michael—the other two riders—Jordan invests the funds to resurrect his Harley. He not only joins them, but as the elder takes the leadership role for this itinerary-less expedition. Armed with his personal recollections and a Frommer's guidebook, Jordan is the right choice practically, as well as spiritually when he convinces everyone to leave their cell phones behind to truly experience the escapist freedom of the open road.
From San Diego the four men venture east and the trip takes them through Arizona and into New Mexico and Nevada before coming back to California. Having travelled through the southwest United States, albeit by car, the idea of such an adlibbed trip makes me envious and want to return. Indeed, the best parts of the story occur while on the road, sometimes given with a Hemingway-esque delivery. I often paused during chapter breaks to track their progress on online maps.
But this is a novel, not a travelogue, so naturally they stop at interesting places, where dramas occur. While the dramas are fictionalized, most if not all the hotels, motels, bars, restaurants, and other stops along the way are actual places. Many have colourful names, such as Big Nose Kate's in Tombstone, and Losers Lounge in Laughlin, Nevada. The encounters with locals and each other are as colourful and include flirtations, fights, arguments, a family visit, and other incidents even more distressing.
As I said, the best parts are when they are moving on the road and the rest isn't as successful. This is a short novel but it took a long time before they got going. Throughout there is a lot of polite and predictable filler dialogue that if omitted could improve the story. The same goes for the inclusion of mundane details like filling a soda cup with ice first at a convenience store, or step by step morning ablutions. Or redundant explanations such as when it's clear Jordan and Michael will stay the night at Michael's relative while the other two must get a motel room, only to have pointed out when the time comes that it had been discussed earlier. As if these are direct transcriptions of notes rather than creative prose.
Nothing about the characters, except Derek, struck me as particularly magnetic, but more often than not they are the targets of flirtation or become the life of the party at a bar or diner. This could be due to a semi-reliable narrator's exaggerations, but one would expect that from Derek, not Jordan who, while a bit of a hothead, quick to take offence, and ready to fight like Derek, is older and comes across as no-nonsense.
The increasing tension between Derek and Jordan, who have more in common than they'd likely concede, provides an effective suspense element to the story, just as the narrator's introspective passages provide balance. Both complement the sense of movement of their journey through some wonderful scenery while soul searching and revealing closet skeletons. In a way paralleling how A Road Wanting Wear with its smooth moments interspersed by bumpier ones.
NOTE: The e-Book provided for this review seemed rapidly assembled, possibly to service reviewers, because the novel is only available in paperback as of early January, 2024. The sample excerpt for that paperback on Amazon looks fine.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 5, 2024
Isn’t this the dream of every American biker? Going on a spontaneous motorcycle ride with a bunch of fellow bikers? Add a southwestern setting and local bars on every corner and you have yourself immersed in a biker’s dream. “A Road Wanting Wear” has all the potential of a wonderful adventure yet also potential dangers acquainted with such a ride. David Grant Urban fills the pages of his novel with elements of intrigue and nostalgia mixed in with a touch of suspense.
In this motorcycle tale, Jordan reluctantly joins his brother, Steven, and two of their friends on a suggested ride through the southwestern United States. Until now, Jordan’s new business had made getting away for such a lark almost impossible. Yet, at the urging of his friend, Michael and his younger brother find themselves fixing up his old bike and taking time off despite what it could do to his budding business. Who knows? It might give his neighbors a bit of a break from sensing that his chemical-making business is something disturbing.
The cost of fixing up his motorcycle, which hasn’t been ridden in some time, almost dissuades his thoughts of joining the men, but after the money is spent to get it fixed, he finds the first official ride post-fix-up more enjoyable than he at first imagined. Will it be a ride to remember, or will Jordan regret it as soon as he is left riding alone in the exhaust fumes of his three supposedly riding buddies on the very first day?
The ride through California and into the southwestern states feels true from the depiction of settings written by the author. From the explanations of the coolness of the higher mountain ranges to the valleys of humidity and heat the author gives this ride a real-life feel. I’m sure no ride of this kind is legitimate without meeting at the local bars after the long rides each day. The delectable restaurants graced along the way help you envision the ride even better by the waitresses and bartenders, or as Jordan refers to the females- bartendresses, they meet on the journey. Strapping a two-foot-tall stuffed animal onto the back of one of the bikes and naming it Kokopelli adds humor and fun to the ride as it becomes a type of mascot for the memorable trip.
Urban’s story is realistic, depicting the adventures of four men during this short vacation. Traveling across the country is not a dream I’ve ever had but I’m sure many motorcycle enthusiasts envision an event as this book describes. While reading, I could essentially smell the motorcycle and car fumes as they traveled down the road through California and beyond. The wind in your hair and the heat from a tight helmet became real in “A Road Wanting Wear.”
At certain intervals, the pace seemed to drag, yet soon you would find yourself thrust into a scary or fist-fighting scene that brings you back into the adventurous trip again. The writing was good, the grammar solid, and you often felt like another biker traveling along with the four companions. As with any adventure of this kind, the ride is a life-changing experience for all.
There is one line near the beginning of the book that hints at what will happen in the climax. For me, this was too much. I knew something tragic would happen. I wish the writer would have excluded that suggestion early in the book. I think many readers like a surprise ending instead of reading a large foreshadowing incident.
I feel certain that most motorcycle riders and enthusiasts of the open road will like “A Road Wanting Wear” especially for those desiring nothing more than to feel the wind in their hair, camping under the stars, and picking bugs from their teeth.
You don’t stop riding when you get old; you get old when you stop riding.
In this motorcycle tale, Jordan reluctantly joins his brother, Steven, and two of their friends on a suggested ride through the southwestern United States. Until now, Jordan’s new business had made getting away for such a lark almost impossible. Yet, at the urging of his friend, Michael and his younger brother find themselves fixing up his old bike and taking time off despite what it could do to his budding business. Who knows? It might give his neighbors a bit of a break from sensing that his chemical-making business is something disturbing.
The cost of fixing up his motorcycle, which hasn’t been ridden in some time, almost dissuades his thoughts of joining the men, but after the money is spent to get it fixed, he finds the first official ride post-fix-up more enjoyable than he at first imagined. Will it be a ride to remember, or will Jordan regret it as soon as he is left riding alone in the exhaust fumes of his three supposedly riding buddies on the very first day?
The ride through California and into the southwestern states feels true from the depiction of settings written by the author. From the explanations of the coolness of the higher mountain ranges to the valleys of humidity and heat the author gives this ride a real-life feel. I’m sure no ride of this kind is legitimate without meeting at the local bars after the long rides each day. The delectable restaurants graced along the way help you envision the ride even better by the waitresses and bartenders, or as Jordan refers to the females- bartendresses, they meet on the journey. Strapping a two-foot-tall stuffed animal onto the back of one of the bikes and naming it Kokopelli adds humor and fun to the ride as it becomes a type of mascot for the memorable trip.
Urban’s story is realistic, depicting the adventures of four men during this short vacation. Traveling across the country is not a dream I’ve ever had but I’m sure many motorcycle enthusiasts envision an event as this book describes. While reading, I could essentially smell the motorcycle and car fumes as they traveled down the road through California and beyond. The wind in your hair and the heat from a tight helmet became real in “A Road Wanting Wear.”
At certain intervals, the pace seemed to drag, yet soon you would find yourself thrust into a scary or fist-fighting scene that brings you back into the adventurous trip again. The writing was good, the grammar solid, and you often felt like another biker traveling along with the four companions. As with any adventure of this kind, the ride is a life-changing experience for all.
There is one line near the beginning of the book that hints at what will happen in the climax. For me, this was too much. I knew something tragic would happen. I wish the writer would have excluded that suggestion early in the book. I think many readers like a surprise ending instead of reading a large foreshadowing incident.
I feel certain that most motorcycle riders and enthusiasts of the open road will like “A Road Wanting Wear” especially for those desiring nothing more than to feel the wind in their hair, camping under the stars, and picking bugs from their teeth.
You don’t stop riding when you get old; you get old when you stop riding.
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