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Freshwater Boys (2010)

by Adam Schuitema(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1883285402 (ISBN13: 9781883285401)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Delphinium Books/HarperCollins

review 1: I bought this book at a local independent bookstore during a "buy local" event. Sadly, the bookstore is now out of business. I bought this book because it was by a local (West Michigan) author. I wasn't really excited to read it, but once I started I really, really enjoyed the short stories. Any time you add some places I am familiar with in a story I really relate to it, especially if some are Grand Rapids. I would recommend this book, if even to support a local author.
review 2: The best stories in this collection were the ones that focused on something unique - like "Deer Run," "Sand Thieves," and "Debts and Debtors." Most of the stories are pretty standard - they feature boys coming to terms with growing up and men dealing with divorce/not seeing eye to eye... more with their wives. The writing quality is good, not great. There are occasional things that didn't work, like a young boy describing the sky as looking like an infant's skin, and the author pointing out the obvious - once he describes a kid who stops and waits at an intersection even if the don't walk sign just started flashing. Then he states that the kid is very cautious - but that's what the anecdote showed; no need to state it. I did enjoy the book anyway, mostly because of the memories of Lake Michigan that it brought back. I liked the familiarity of the settings, the quietness of the stories, and also their brevity - Schuitema rarely goes on too long. This is his first collection, and I get the impression his writing will only get better as he continues.Themes: water, youth, nature, Michigan, coming of age, internal struggle, confession and rebirth, introverts, men less

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