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A Novel
by Nickolas Butler
Book Reviewed by:Finalist for the 2016 Prix Médicis Etrangere
An epic novel of intertwining friendships and families set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at a beloved Boy Scout summer camp—from the bestselling author of Shotgun Lovesongs
Camp Chippewa, 1962. Nelson Doughty, age thirteen, social outcast and overachiever, is the Bugler, sounding the reveille proudly each morning. Yet this particular summer marks the beginning of an uncertain and tenuous friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan.
Over the years, Nelson, irrevocably scarred from the Vietnam War, becomes Scoutmaster of Camp Chippewa, while Jonathan marries, divorces, and turns his father's business into a highly profitable company. And when something unthinkable happens at a camp get-together with Nelson as Scoutmaster and Jonathan's teenage grandson and daughter-in-law as campers, the aftermath demonstrates the depths—and the limits—of Nelson's selflessness and bravery.
The Hearts of Men is a sweeping, panoramic novel about the slippery definitions of good and evil, family and fidelity, the challenges and rewards of lifelong friendships, the bounds of morality—and redemption.
3
That night, Nelson lies in bed reading his Handbook for Boys by the light of his lantern. A moth bangs against the lantern's glass globe. Nelson rests the book down against his pale chest. Outside his tent are the sounds of laughter and of campfire sizzling and popping, of zippers yapping and outhouse doors clapping shut, the sounds slowly diminishing until the silence is punctuated only rarely by a cough, perhaps, or the long, low, wet note from a recently purchased dime-store whoopee cushion. The moth bounces again and again and again off the globe until reaching out a hand, and careful not to harm the creature, Nelson captures it in his fi He feels the tiny thing, the hair of its legs, the tickle of desperation in its wings, the curiosity of its antennae. Opening his fingers he examines the moth resting in the palm of his hand.
For all his knowledge of knots, the constellations, poisonous mushrooms, rocks, minerals, and the trout streams of northern Wisconsin, Nelson knows...
This is a nuanced exploration into the hearts of men. And the north country of Wisconsin, pristine and wild, even though it’s sparsely described, allows for a sense of colorful realism to radiate from the page. Dialogue flows realistically, and the internal conflict accurately reflects what we bring upon ourselves through our innate characteristics or through our choices. Thematically centered on the masculine, The Hearts of Men will appeal across genders...continued
Full Review
(663 words)
(Reviewed by Gary Presley).
Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and Sweet Water
A wry, tender-hearted novel about men: their families and friendships, their vulnerabilities and foibles, their secrets and lies. Part coming-of-age narrative, part meditation on masculinity, part war story, this novel had me spellbound all the way to its riveting conclusion. David Abrams, author of Fobbit
How Nickolas Butler spans the gaps across several generations of sons and fathers (and mothers) is nothing short of a marvel of storytelling…The Hearts of Men is full of pain, joy, longing, redemption, disappointment, and beauty--in short, all the qualities that distinguish the very best novels on our shelves. J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
Like a great campfire story, The Hearts of Men is epic and hushed in the right places, simultaneously local and universal, and brilliantly, beautifully unspooled. It's both a love letter to good men of the past and a hopeful cheer for the good men to come. Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving
The Hearts of Men is a winning second novel, by turns wistful and wise, sad and funny, eminently readable, and always atmospheric. Without a doubt, Nickolas Butler is a young writer to watch.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) plays a significant role in The Hearts of Men. The youth organization was in the news in 2017, beginning to adapt to current social mores.
The New York Times reported on January 31, 2017: "Reversing its stance of more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America said on Monday that the group would begin accepting members based on the gender listed on their application, paving the way for transgender boys to join the organization."
Social structures have evolved since the British Lieutenant-General, Robert Baden-Powell, founded the Scouts in England in 1910. Baden-Powell was a military hero, known for his 1899 successful defense of Mafeking during the Boer War. According to BSA's history of cub scouting, ...
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