Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel by Nickolas Butler Also by this author: The Hearts of Men
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on 2014
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 352
Read synopsis on Goodreads
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If you grow up in a small town and head out to the big city, can you ever really come home again? That’s the central question wrapped within Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel by Nickolas Butler. Butler tells a story of dreams, sacrifice, and loss through the eyes and actions of a core group of childhood friends who, for one reason or another, have come home to lick their wounds. Although each has lived his own life, whether that be as an internationally beloved musician, a former rodeo star who drank too much, or a farmer who never left, the men come together in order to find comfort in what had always been. Life, of course, has taken them in different directions, making it harder for them to truly connect with each other and begging the question whether you really can ever go home again.
There are a million things I loved about this book, from the writing and the storyline to the depth and honesty of the characters’ troubles and successes, but my favorite part is that Butler does an incredible job of creating three-dimensional characters. Several of his characters are, in all honesty, portrayed as brutal stereotypes in most books, whether it be an alcoholic rodeo man who didn’t have much formal education being portrayed as “less than” or a musician portrayed as a jerk. Butler, however, not only kicks aside the stereotypes, but he actually leans in the opposite direction by taking greater care with writing these characters. By bringing them fully into the fold, it adds to the richness of the story and is what makes the book so great.
Normally, now that I’ve said great things about the book, I’d toss in a few of the things that I didn’t love about the book but, to be honest, I have nothing of the sort to say. This book was amazing. It wasn’t incredibly fast-paced or shocking, but it is raw and rich and raises a lot of questions that those from a small town will likely identify with. Heck, I’m not even from a small town and I connected with the characters!
Recommended for: Everyone. Just everyone.
