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Wingshooters
Revoyr’s novel examines the effects of change on a small, isolated town, the strengths and limits of community, and the sometimes conflicting loyalties of family and justice.
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Praise from booksellers for Wingshooters
“Wingshooters is a book that I could not put down. Michelle LeBeau, the protagonist, is a memorable creation that stands very comfortably alongside Harper Lee’s Scout Finch. Wingshooters will be one of my staff recommends at City Lights.”
—Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookstore (San Francisco, CA)
“An abandoned young girl narrates this tale of spiritual and physical isolation, set in a small Wisconsin town in 1974, as it plummets and tumbles into heartbreak. ‘You don’t belong here,’ the town tells the schoolgirl and everyone else who is not like them. Revoyr’s voice vibrates with the spiritual and physical isolation of a Carson McCullers without adornment or illusion. The pacing is perfect. Wingshooters captures the tragedy of personal rejection resulting from racial tension in all these characters with rough lives.”
—James Harris, Prairie Lights Bookstore (Iowa City, IA)
“Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, school-age Michelle calls an early 1970s small town in Wisconsin her home. Her life is far from simple, as the tensions between her own heritage and the growing integration of public institutions slowly burn under the cold face of rural America. Wingshooters features a remarkably strong narrative voice: clear, innocent, and unflinching. It is a story of family conflict, race relations, ignorance in the face of inevitable change, and fracture lines that ultimately break apart. Though a work of fiction, Wingshooters explores universal truths in way that should resonate well with book clubs.”
—Geoffrey Jennings, Rainy Day Books (Kansas City, MO)
“This compelling and fearless novel tells the story of Michelle, a young multiracial girl being raised by her white American grandparents in a small Midwestern town. The arrival of an African American couple—a teacher and a nurse—sets off a chain of events that divide the community and force Mikey to face difficult truths about the town and about her family. I love so much about this novel, especially the depiction of the relationship of Mikey and her grandfather. I can’t wait to see this book on our book group display.”
—Karen Allman, Elliott Bay Books (Seattle, WA)
“Wingshooters is a rich and provocative novel that thoughtfully tells the story of a small Wisconsin town dealing with race and its own shortcomings post-Vietnam. Revoyr has delivered her best work yet—Wingshooters is full of fluid prose that describes the heartache of alienation and the desire to belong regardless of how different we are from one another.”
—Monica Carter, Skylight Books (Los Angeles, CA)
“A must for book groups, Wingshooters is a terrific addition to America’s literary legacy. It is the rare novel that explores the intricacies of prejudice so gently and deftly. The characters—even the dog—are complex, full of failings, yet loveable too. I found it gripping and convincing and am thrilled to recommend it.”
—Diane Leslie, Diesel Bookstore (Los Angeles, CA)
“I loved Wingshooters! It is beautifully written—poetic and heartrending. It should especially appeal to readers in Wisconsin where it’s set. Revoyr’s description of a young girl’s torment and taunting by schoolchildren is evocative of the emotional pain of anyone who has ever been labeled as ‘different’. The intolerance of a rural Wisconsin community in the 70’s should provoke introspection and lively discussions for book groups. I look forward to recommending this compelling novel.”
—Marilyn Sieb, Books & Company (Oconomowoc, WI)
“Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr is a riveting story about a young biracial girl being raised by her grandparents in a small rural Wisconsin town in the mid-70’s. Deerhorn is so sheltered and insular that it hasn’t even begun to hear the hum of change in the bigger cities. Revoyr captures both the love and hate of a small town, and mixes them together into a combustible brew. The result is a complicated, beautiful, well-told story that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.”
—Margie White, Just the Bookstore (Glen Ellyn, IL)
“Once every few years a novel comes along that reminds you just how powerful fiction can be. A novel that is so pure, so well-written, so utterly real, that when you look for ways to describe it, there is only one word that seems sufficient: perfect. Wingshooters is just such a book. Nina Revoyr has produced a small masterpiece that should be read by anyone and everyone. It’s that good.”
—David Mallmann, Next Chapter Bookshop (Mequon, WI)