Book of the month for July was Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler. The Big Review is below.
***Big Reviews are written from the point of view that you have read the book. If this is not yet you, bookmark the page and come back once you have***
Shotgun – the blurb
Henry, Lee, Kip and Ronny grew up together in rural Wisconsin. Friends since childhood, their lives all began the same way, but have since taken different paths. Henry stayed on the family farm and married his first love, whilst the others left in search of something more. Ronnie became a rodeo star, Kip made his fortune in the city, and musician Lee found fame – but heartbreak, too.
Now all four are back in town for a wedding, each of them hoping to recapture their old closeness but unable to escape how much has changed. Amid the happiness of reunion and celebration, old rivalries resurface and a wife’s secret threatens to tear both a marriage and a friendship apart . . .
4 weddings… and a funeral?
Whilst different to my favourite small town America writer Butler writes about the small farming community so well. The focus is definitely on the 4 men but the smaller observations are there along with the perpetual push and pull of wanting to leave/wanting to stay. In the end I found myself liking Henry, the stereotypical ‘good man’ the least. It’s not that I disliked him, I just found the other 3 more appealing. I wanted Ronnie to stay sober and get his happy ending (I so thought he was going to die in the snow storm). I wanted Kip to realize he could be a father and had a good thing with Felicia. Rockstar Lee was intriguing with his celebrity wedding yet homestead roots but Henry was…Henry. Stoic, dependable and a bit boring.
It didn’t drag the way some similar books do. Instead it caught you in a warm hug which was strange as the book wasn’t soppy at all. I loved the pickled eggs section with Lee and could vividly picture it happening. (I worried a bit here as well that he was going to die). Thankfully they all made it to the end to hopefully live happy ever after. But do you think they do?
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with the Book Of The Month choices try answering the Book Club questions published every month. Just search in the footnotes section for the ‘Get Involved’ articles. A new book is chosen every month so keep your eyes peeled for the Lowdown on August’s book of the month soon.
