The Gunners

Starred review from November 27, 2017
Kauffman’s perceptive, funny, and endearing novel (after Another Place You’ve Never Been) is set against the backdrop of a funeral in snowy Lackawanna, a depressed suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. The seemingly light (but deceptively profound) story follows a once–close-knit group of six friends as they navigate the stresses of adulthood while grappling with long-held secrets from the past. Called “The Gunners”—after the name on the mailbox of the abandoned house they hung out in as kids—30-year-old Mikey, Lynn, Alice, Sam, and Jimmy reunite for the first time since high school to pay their respects to their sixth member, Sally, who committed suicide. As with any coming-to-terms-with-past-decisions-and-getting-older exercise, the friends reminisce about old times and share their triumphant successes and embarrassing failures. Despite the well-trod premise, Kauffman’s prose never veers into campy territory. The admissions of her characters provide deep insight into their individual personalities, and also into human vulnerability more broadly. These include Mikey’s fear surrounding his waning eyesight and conflicted sadness about his strained relationship with his father; Sam’s intense shame about a defining moment he had with Sally long ago; and Alice’s outlandish behavior that masks an entrenched inner turmoil. Reminiscent of The Big Chill and St. Elmo’s Fire, this remarkable novel is just as satisfying and provides readers with an entire cast of characters who will feel like old friends upon finishing. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary Agency.

After Sally commits suicide, Mikey Callahan and his childhood group, the Gunners, attempt to reconnect to make sense of her death and their lives. Michael David Axtell's narration is truly wonderful, bringing life to Kauffman's beautiful, unflinching look at friendship, betrayal, love, and forgiveness. As adolescence rears its head, the Gunners--a name they take from the mailbox of an abandoned house where they hang out--are torn apart when Sally suddenly and mysteriously distances herself from all of them. Delivering believable characters with human failings and strengths, Axtell gives each person's story immediacy and makes each motive understandable. As new revelations unfold, Axtell's superb narration adds credibility to Kauffman's exploration of the complexities of the human heart. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine