Review: Salmon Swimming Upstream and Homebound by Stephen E. Johnson

Poignant and warming to the soul, Salmon Swimming Upstream and Homebound: Tales about Brotherhood from Bear Creek by Stephen E. Johnson is a reflective memoir, diving into the perennial power of family, place, and nature to help renew bonds and enliven the spirit.

Sliding decades backward into the past, readers are welcomed into the intimacy of a family still finding its feet out in the country, away from the tumult of city life. Three brothers gather in a beloved cabin for a weekend of escape and remembrance in the wilderness of the Cascades, falling into the comfort of siblings sharing tales from childhood. Like a map through expanding personalities and private discoveries, the book unravels perennial wisdom via the seemingly simple trials of growing up.

Whether turning spontaneous trips to the creek into expeditions through uncharted wilderness, building defensible forts in the forest, learning about mortality from seasonal struggles of stubborn fish, or being awkwardly introduced to “the birds and the bees,” each casually unfurled page is loaded and layered with significance. The format feels like an interconnected collection of seasonal short stories, with Spring and Summer taking up most of the narrative space, but there is a natural flow of milestones and memories that give this touching memoir a sense of fullness and completion.

Set against the shifting national landscape of 1966, the brothers’ stories and snippets of nostalgia also touch on broader social issues associated with that generation, but the real focus lies on the momentous evolutions within their own family, and within themselves, as their identities transform into country boys with an insatiable taste for freedom. With the valuable perspective of hindsight, the author does connect some of their experiences back to events of the wider world, such as the consuming anxiety of the Vietnam War, or the struggles for dignity by women and marginalized groups, but readers are also expected to make their own connections and plumb the storytelling for its most more subtle meaning.

Ultimately, what initially feels like a comfortable wander through the halls of collective memory becomes a much more profound musing on some of life’s biggest questions: “Who can you turn to when things get hard? What do you want to truly achieve in life? Which moments should be savored, and which ones forgotten?” The patient and delicate writing of the prologue sets a compelling tone, laced with heartfelt interactions and authentic conversations mixed with narrative philosophizing and nuanced recollections that feel real enough to touch. The prose is vivid and transportive throughout, immersing readers in both the majesty of nature and the myriad dramas of youth, effortlessly capturing the highs and lows of eye-widening discovery.

Memoirs that flip too often between past and present can feel jarring or formulaic, but Johnson seamlessly slips between contemporary scenes of the aging brothers and cinematic anecdotes from their formative years. Some of the dialogic prefaces to the brothers’ tales give away too much, undercutting the impact of the story that immediately follows, but this is a minor issue in a vibrant and rejuvenating read.

Combining nature writing, spirited narrative storytelling, and empowering insight, this is a unique memoir, celebrating the faithful support of family, unchangeable values, and the pathways we walk together in life.