Book Review: The Gunners

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This is my book review of The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman.

Book Summary:

Rebecca Kauffman returns with Mikey Callahan, a 30-year-old character who is experiencing the clouded vision of macular degeneration. He struggles to establish human connections, but even his emotional life is a blur.

As the novel begins, he is reconnecting with “The Gunners.

As a child, Mikey Callahan had a group of friends that called themselves “The Gunners.” The group began meeting at an abandoned residence where someone named Gunner once lived.

Mikey and Sally were the only two in the group who stayed in their hometown after high school.

Sally had suddenly and mysteriously distanced herself from her friends when they were still in school, though none of them knew why.

Then tragically, Sally takes her own life. She died harboring secrets about their friendship group and all the individuals within it.

“The Gunners” all come back to town to attend Sally’s funeral.

Mikey, Alice, Lynn, Jimmy, and Sam stay the weekend at Jimmy’s fancy second home. It is here that they reveal childhood secrets and ask themselves what might have happened to Sally.

What caused her to break away from their group? And why did she ultimately commit the ultimate act of taking her own life?

Mikey knows he needs to confront the dark secrets from his past and his father. It is possible that the emotional disconnect he feels stems from the darkness in his life as he grew up.

The core of this adventure, made by Mikey, Alice, Lynn, Jimmy, and Sam, becomes a search for the core of truth, friendship, and forgiveness.

My Review:

The Gunners was a good read. Not great. Not amazing or unforgettable. It was just one of those books that keep you entertained, but not the kind you can’t wait to get back to.

I enjoyed reading the book and was happy to write a book review. But I wouldn’t necessarily read it a second time.

About The Author:

Rebecca Kauffman is originally from rural northeastern Ohio.

She received her B.A. in Violin Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from NYU.

She currently lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.