A review by internationalkris
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti

5.0

I just finished The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley over the weekend and I thought it was a terrific read – top quality writing, gritty, lots of nods to the mystery and thriller worlds but overall it was more of a literary fiction piece. The book begins when Samuel Hawley arrives in the seaside town of Olympus, Massachusetts where his wife grew up. She died years earlier just after the birth of her daughter Loo, and Hawley has been moving the small family from place to place ever since. When they get to Olympus the mood is heavy. Loo's grandmother refuses to see her. Bullies quickly descend at middle school. Hawley's hope of becoming a fisherman is rebuffed by the locals. But he persists through these challenges in trying to carve out a home for a his daughter and we see Loo also struggle to create roots. Alternating with chapters about their time in Olympus are flashbacks to Hawley's twelve bullet wounds and his involvement in a life of crime. As the scenes of his dark past draw closer to the present he is creating with Loo, the reader trembles. This is a gorgeously written book, with unique characters and settings (that glacier in Alaska!). Questions resonate even as the narrative draws to a conclusion. I am looking forward to a November book club discussion on this one.