Shotgun Lovesongs

 I was sucked into Shotgun Lovesongs like smoke up a chimney. Nickolas Butler is an excellent writer. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading until after midnight. This story takes place in a fictional town in Wisconsin called Little Wing. Little Wing is a farming town situated an hour south of Eau Claire. Four friends from school remain friends into adulthood. Each of the four plus Henry's wife, Beth, narrates a chapter. Each chapter has a single letter title. H for Henry, B for Beth, R for Robbie, K for Kip, and L for Leland. The first one to become famous is Robbie. Robbie is a terrific rodeo cowboy. Of course rodeos come with injuries and no rodeo cowboy lasts into old age. Leland becomes a famous rock star. Kip goes to Chicago and becomes a wealthy businessman. Henry and Beth farm a dairy operation, are happily married, and have two children. As they come back to Little Wing for weddings and birthday celebrations, their friendship changes and evolves. I sincerely enjoyed this book about male friendships in the Midwest.