BOOKS 2 SCREEN PICK
The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman (2018 Counterpoint)
Agent: Michelle Tessler at Tessler Literary Agency
Status:
Summary:
Kauffman’s perceptive, funny, and endearing novel is set against the backdrop of a funeral in snowy Lackawanna, a depressed suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. The seemingly light story follows a once–close-knit group of six friends as they navigate the stresses of adulthood while grappling with long-held secrets from the past. Called “The Gunners”—after the name on the mailbox of the abandoned house they hung out in as kids—30-year-old Mikey, Lynn, Alice, Sam, and Jimmy reunite for the first time since high school to pay their respects to their sixth member, Sally, who committed suicide. As with any coming-to-terms-with-past-decisions-and-getting-older exercise, the friends reminisce about old times and share their triumphant successes and embarrassing failures.
Notes: Very Big Chill and St. Elmo’s Fire, as each deals with their secrets – Mikey’s fear over his waning eyesight and sadness over his strained relationship with his father; Sam’s shame about a moment he had with Sally long ago; and Alice’s mad behavior that masks an entrenched inner turmoil. Such a satisfying story that you walk away feeling as if you are one of their friends.
The Book to Screen Club 