Shotgun Lovesongs

By: Nickolas Butler

Narrated by: Scott Shepherd, Ari Fliakos, Maggie Hoffman, Scott Sowers, Gary Wilmes

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....

This is a novel about the things that matter - love and loyalty, the power of music and the beauty of nature - told in a uniquely beautiful, warm-hearted, and profound way and exploring the age-old question of whether we can ever truly come home.

©2013 Nickolas Butler (P)2014 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Critic reviews

"A big-hearted take on a small-town life from a new voice in American fiction... Gorgeous, unforgettable novel." ( Marie Claire)
“The real power of this book is Butler’s talent for creating characters who we instantly know and care about . . . He writes with the insight of Nick Hornby and the rural authenticity of John Steinbeck and, somehow, pulls it off. Big time.” ( The Daily Mail)

"A story of friendship and brotherhood worth savouring on a sunny day." ( Press Association)
"You sense that he could write a novel about watching paint dry and you would be absorbed by every word. He is a consummate storyteller, his killer observation infused with tenderness, reeling you in with a gentle, fluent style; a rare sensitivity and a deep understanding of the complicated demands and rewards of love and friendship." ( Sunday Express)