The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman is a
winner. Finally I can give a thumbs up review. I was hooked from
the beginning. Mikey Callahan is a very sympathetic character. At thirty
years old, he’s the only one of the old gang to stay in the same town. His
vision is degenerating and he really has no life – he works, he lives, he has a
cat. But he learns a childhood friend, Sally, committed suicide. Dang. This is
a blow. Slowly we learn that the strong friendship as kids deteriorated and
Sally left the group in high school. No one knew why. Now, as everyone
comes back into town for the funeral, the group gathers and stories come out.
The Gunners was the name given to their private clubhouse group.
Cover blurb – Mikey especially needs to confront dark
secrets about his own past and his father. How much of this darkness accounts
for the emotional stupor Mikey is suffering from as he reaches his
maturity. And can the Gunners, prompted by Sally’s death, find their way to a
new day? The core of this adventure, made by Mikey, Alice, Lynn, Jimmy, and Sam,
becomes a search for the core of truth, friendship, and forgiveness.
I liked all of the characters and could feel their pain and
concern, and their need to find the truth. Sally, in death, is also a
hovering ghost that you, the reader, will care about.
Kauffman is a solid writer who writes deep characters and
a solid plot that keeps moving and keeps you guessing. The layers of life
in The Gunners are deep and worth exploring. Excellent read. I am
delighted to give a solid thumbs up.
