Shotgun Lovesongs by Nicholas Butler–320 pages
Book Blurb:
Hank, Leland, Kip and Ronny were all born and raised in the same Wisconsin town — Little Wing — and are now coming into their own (or not) as husbands and fathers. One of them never left, still farming the family’s land that’s been tilled for generations. Others did leave, went farther afield to make good, with varying degrees of success; as a rock star, commodities trader, rodeo stud. And seamlessly woven into their patchwork is Beth, whose presence among them—both then and now—fuels the kind of passion one comes to expect of love songs and rivalries. Now all four are home, in hopes of finding what could be real purchase in the world. The result is a shared memory only half-recreated, riddled with culture clashes between people who desperately wish to see themselves as the unified tribe they remember, but are confronted with how things have, in fact, changed. There is conflict here between longtime buddies, between husbands and wives — told with writing that is, frankly, gut-wrenching, and even heartbreaking. But there is also hope, healing, and at times, even heroism. It is strong, American stuff, not at all afraid of showing that we can be good, too — not just fallible and compromising.
My Review: 4 stars
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This book is an ode to friendship, to family, to small-towns and to love. I adored it. The difference between this book and the others with these same characteristics is that the friendship portrayed in these pages is between men. I’m not saying that male friendships aren’t real and don’t happen everyday; what I am saying is that readers don’t often get to read about them in such an intimate way. With a poetic tone and flaw filled characters, this debut novel speaks to the reader in an unabashedly real way. There’s no real climax or crisis in these pages, but there are small battles to overcome within each character’s life. I was able to meet the author today and like a sunny winter day; he was warm, rugged and honest. It made sense that the book reads fluidly as he also writes poetry and has a book of his poetry coming out in 2015. Well done. Highly recommend.
Quotes I liked:
Drinking became his lover and his lullaby, his needle and his pillow.”
I can’t easily tell anymore, can’t tell you the difference between love and loneliness, homesickness and weakness. What the hell do I know about love?
What he could of said is, I know you better than you know yourself. And this, I think, is what marriage is all about.
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“Drinking became his lover and his lullaby, his needle and his pillow.” – I’m working on translation of this book, and still can’t find out the exact meaning of “the needle and the pillow” in this phrase. 🙁
I’d contact the author if you can to see what he suggests! Good luck.