The Hearts of Men - by Nickolas Butler (Paperback)

About the Book

"Camp Chippewa, 1962. Nelson Doughty, age thirteen, social outcast and overachiever, is the Bugler, sounding the reveille proudly each morning. Yet this particular summer marks the beginning of an uncertain and tenuous friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan. Over the years, Nelson, irrevocably scarred from the Vietnam War, becomes Scoutmaster of Camp Chippewa, while Jonathan marries, divorces, and turns his father's business into a highly profitable company. And when something unthinkable happens at a camp get-together with Nelson as Scoutmaster and Jonathan's teenage grandson and daughter-in-law as campers, the aftermath demonstrates the depths-and the limits-of Nelson's selflessness and bravery. The Hearts of Men is a sweeping, panoramic novel about the slippery definitions of good and evil, family and fidelity, the challenges and rewards of lifelong friendships, the bounds of morality-and redemption."--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

"[A] tender, insightful book... Perfectly paced and leavened with humor, it's a wonderful read." -- People

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING*

An epic, character-driven novel of intertwining friendships and families set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at a beloved Boy Scout summer camp--from the bestselling author of Shotgun Lovesongs

Camp Chippewa, 1962. Nelson Doughty, age thirteen, social outcast and overachiever, is the Bugler, sounding the reveille proudly each morning. Yet this particular summer marks the beginning of an uncertain and tenuous friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan.

In this multi-generational saga, Nelson, irrevocably scarred from the Vietnam War, becomes Scoutmaster of Camp Chippewa, while Jonathan marries, divorces, and turns his father's business into a highly profitable company. And when something unthinkable happens at a camp get-together with Nelson as Scoutmaster and Jonathan's teenage grandson and daughter-in-law as campers, the aftermath demonstrates the depths--and the limits--of Nelson's selflessness and bravery.

The Hearts of Men is a sweeping, panoramic novel about the slippery definitions of good and evil, family and fidelity, the challenges and rewards of lifelong friendships, the bounds of morality--and redemption.

From the Back Cover

A sweeping, panoramic story spanning a half century, from the Vietnam War to the modern day, The Hearts of Men begins at Camp Chippewa during the summer of 1962: Nelson Doughty, age thirteen, social outcast and overachiever, is the Bugler, sounding the reveille proudly each morning. Yet this particular summer marks the beginning of an uncertain and tenuous friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan, who, in scrambling to protect Nelson against the merciless bullying of the other boys, finds he has much to learn about the extent of his own courage and empathy. Over the years, Nelson, irrevocably scarred from Vietnam, becomes scoutmaster of Camp Chippewa, while Jonathan marries, divorces, and turns his father's business into a highly profitable company. When something unthinkable happens at a camp get- together with Nelson as scoutmaster and Jonathan's daughter-in-law and teenage grandson as campers, the aftermath demonstrates the depths--and the limits--of Nelson's selflessness and bravery.

Review Quotes

"Like a great campfire story, The Hearts of Men is epic and hushed in the right places, simultaneously local and universal, and brilliantly, beautifully unspooled. It's both a love letter to good men of the past and a hopeful cheer for the good men to come." - J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

"How Nickolas Butler spans the gaps across several generations of sons and fathers (and mothers) is nothing short of a marvel of storytelling...The Hearts of Men is full of pain, joy, longing, redemption, disappointment, and beauty--in short, all the qualities that distinguish the very best novels on our shelves." - David Abrams, author of Fobbit

"The Hearts of Men is a winning second novel, by turns wistful and wise, sad and funny, eminently readable, and always atmospheric. Without a doubt, Nickolas Butler is a young writer to watch." - Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

"A wry, tender-hearted novel about men: their families and friendships, their vulnerabilities and foibles, their secrets and lies. Part coming-of-age narrative, part meditation on masculinity, part war story, this novel had me spellbound all the way to its riveting conclusion." - Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and Sweet Water

"Butler demonstrates enormous command over the material and sympathy for his flawed characters. This beautiful novel might be his best yet." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Across three generations and as many wars, this earnest novel explores the ways boys become men and how even flawed men may stand as models for the young... A well-paced, affecting read." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Butler's latest delves into the meaning of loyalty and friendship, how some rise to life's challenges while others fail... Fans of Butler's award-winning Shotgun Lovesongs will welcome this impressive work with an outstanding ensemble cast. Top of the class for Butler on this one." - Library Journal (starred review)

"A multi-layered, multi-generational mini-epic...Butler delves into a dark, Midwestern, middle-class suburban mentality in the same neighborhood as John Cheever's Shady Hill and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Hill Estates." - USA Today

'Butler achieves a rare triple play here of brilliant characterizations, a riveting story line, and superlatively measured prose, putting him in the front ranks of contemporary American writers of literary fiction." - Booklist

"Butler captures the rites and rhythms of young manhood in intimate, clear-eyed detail, shifting nimbly between multiple perspectives, several generations, and two wars overseas...a potent exploration of friendship, betrayal, and all the markers of masculinity that can't be measured by badges and trust falls." - Entertainment Weekly

"[A] beautiful story of love and courage...Butler's storytelling is hypnotizing. Yet every time we're about to get too comfortable, he reminds us of his powerful talent to cause "the feels" when he lays tiny tragedies at our feet." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

'Gut-punch of a novel...I keep coming back to Nelson, Butler's great creation. He is a character of such vivid goodness, such moving and precise sorrow, I don't think I'll ever forget him. And in the end isn't that what we ask of a novel, that it be unforgettable?" - New York Times Book Review