A review by melissa_bee
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler

4.0

This novel unfolds like a sweet vidalia onion, jumping between a cast of characters and back and forth in time, gradually revealing its secrets just as the Northerner does: politely, but slowly. It is generous to its characters, instead of condemning them to criticism or ridicule as seems to be the fashion among a certain brand of literary fiction. Some critics have pointed out that this can at times leave the narrative saccharine-sweet, especially in the voice of Lee, a poetic singer-songwriter loosely inspired by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame, and indeed the novel is as the title implies a love letter (or possibly a mix tape?) to the American North; but since so few authors have written about the region with such warmth and familiarity I consider that a positive rather than a negative. If, as I did, you grew up or spent summers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Northern Illinois, then you will instantly recognize the townspeople of Little Wing, WI. The author's keen eye for the details of small-town life and the time allowed for each character's individual voice to emerge makes for a complex and entertaining cast of characters. So many recent novels feature protagonists that are one-dimensionally unlikeable; this novel does not make the mistake of painting any one character as a villain, but acknowledges the plurality of motivations and misapprehensions that lead to mistakes and conflict. The theme of the dehumanizing affect of a society obsessed with celebrity and the importance of letting our heroes be imperfect people is important, though not uncharted, territory; what may be is the warm, subtle humor and patience with which Butler explores it.