Sweetgirl: A Novel

They said "Winters Bone as a comparison in the intro and I loved that story. But this one is more, it's more modern and more insightful. The drug user taught me things about drug use. Its a great capsulation of hopeful impossible desperation. Percy was so well drawn and I've felt that feeling of still believing in hopeless causes.
Its a quick read, being totally riveted helps!, I sat 3 hours or less and ignored my whole family!! Aaahhhh.
Thank you Travis Mulhauser

The title character was well portrayed. I was appalled by the other characters and reliance on drugs and alcohol. After I read it I wasn't sure I wanted to give it to my granddaughter (18) for Christmas. I did and do not think she has read it, yet. I do not plan to read another book written by this author.

This is a poor retelling, an American version of the movie 'Train Spotting'. The author is a storyteller and relies little on dialogue to move the story along. It is filled with drug addiction, child neglect, and often inadvertent homophobic references.

SWEETGIRL

An upper northern Michigan small town, a missing mother, a dead dog, a handful of most-of-the-time wasted pot heads, a blizzard, a forgotten and neglected baby girl, a teen girl named Percy wise beyond her years -- throw all of these facts together and you have one hell of a read waiting for you. SWEETGIRL is a book to be savored and enjoyed.

Author Travis Mulhauser writes a great story, filled with drama, human emotion, wit, humor, and fantastic fleshed-out characters. He KNOWS people and that talent comes shining through in his characters and book.

The story unfolds and is told in alternating chapters by Percy James, a sixteen year old girl who is looking for her missing mom, a mom who has a history of drug problems and really isn't much of a mom. But there's that love thing going on and Percy wants to find her. What she does find is a neglected baby girl, Jenna. Once Percy sees the conditions Jenna is living under, the story takes off and never ever stops. You, the reader, are off and running.

Shelton Potter's story is told in the alternating chapters as he hunts for the missing child. Potter is a drug dealer, a druggie himself, who also has a love for booze and other illegal delights. He is mean, violent, crazed, but yet as the reader, you cannot help but feel pity for him and at points, even admire him. Even though he is brutal and explosive, he has a tender side and as he remembers his past, that pity party for him gets going.

This is a short and quick read. There is plenty of violence, surprises, love, and fantastic humor and wit. References to northern Michigan abound, the descriptions of the storm and winter weather there are just perfect and fit into the story well.

This is a good book, one I will be recommending to family and friends. Percy James is a great character as is her friend Portis Dale; both of them were my favorite characters. If you like adventure, surprises, thrills, love of a family, and just a darn good read, this is one for you. Travis Mulhauser has one other book I plan on reading -- GREETINGS FROM CUTLER COUNTY - A NOVELLA AND STORIES.

Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser is a highly recommended debut novel of suspense set during a blizzard in Northern Michigan. Read this one with a blanket and a warm beverage nearby.

Percy James, 16, drives off to try and find her meth addicted mother, Carletta, just as a blizzard bears down on the northern Michigan woods. Percy checks out the cabin of known cooker and dealer Sheldon Potter. After having to abandon her truck a mile or so from the house, Percy sets off on foot. When she arrives she doesn't find Carletta; instead she sees Sheldon passed out with his girlfriend in the living room. Thinking her mother might still be there in another room, Percy sneaks inside and heads upstairs. What she finds is a dead dog in one room and a baby in the other. In the baby's room the crib, with the name Jenna written on it, is by an open window where the cold and snow are rushing inside.

Deciding that someone needs to save baby Jenna, who Percy nicknames Sweetgirl, Percy grabs the baby and the bag nearby. She's going to go get this baby to safety while still trying to find her mother. Percy heads on foot carrying Jenna to the cabin of Portis Dale, an ex-boyfriend to her mother and the closest thing to a father that Percy has ever had. She and Portis then take off, battling the elements and trying to hide from the criminal thugs Sheldon has sent out to look for the baby after he woke up and found her gone. You read that right. After Sheldon comes to and realizes the baby is gone, he tries to find thugs beholden to his uncle to help him look for her before he takes off in a snowmobile to find her too.

Sheldon Potter is a foolish man and his constant drug usage is addling his thinking. Portis is a hard drinking, but caring, philosopher. Percy is a sixteen-year-old who is wise beyond her years and a scrappy fighter. She is a protagonist that you will be cheering for as she tries to overcome the elements and other forces against her while saving little Jenna. Having the blizzard bearing down on them and bad guys after them creates more obstacles, problems, and difficulties getting to the proper authorities or finding some help.

Chapters alternate between Percy and Sheldon, creating a tension as you follow what is happening. I'm going to have to admit that there were a few things that seemed a bit too pat, like Sheldon's tenaciousness and ability to get around even as he constantly is getting a buzz from something. The biggest stretch of credulity is Percy's inability to get help in this day and age. Sure, most of us would use our cell phones and call for help but Carletta (conveniently) sold Percy's and Portis, naturally, doesn't have one.

The writing is quite good, which really elevates the plot above a cliche'. The setting also does this as one doesn't usually think of meth cooking going on in the woods of northern Michigan. But Percy, however, is the real winner here. She is a great character and this acts as a thriller, as well as a coming-of-age novel. I liked the ending very much and hope to read more from Millhauser in the future.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.

The words in Sweetgirl are not simply written, they are exquisitely crafted. I found this book a joy to read; and so will you. Never have I claimed the experience of a "page-turner" until drifting inside the appropriately snow-white covers of Travis Mulhauser's novel.

Do you savor a turn of phrase? I jot down words used in a novel manner. My first index card was filled on page 3; a second on page 4; again on 5; now 6, and 7. I needed a new stack after page 10. Soon I acknowledged that my world had cloth seats and cravings for better, while Sweetgirl had enveloped me in "soft Corinthian leather," to stay Michigan-centric in keeping with the book's setting.

There is plenty of intrigue in this story and added fascination in the telling the story. How does an author arrive at character names the reader adopts as precisely appropriate? Why is Shelton Potter referenced by his first and last names in (nearly?) all cases when the narrator is speaking? Has the writer always used "hardwater" to describe "ice" atop a frozen lake or did it just seem to the perfect time for this particular character to invent that term?

This is a good story. This is good literature. It could become an engaging movie; and I'll say, "I told you so, Sweetgirl."

Favorite quotes (just a few of many):

"It was the kind of thought you have because you know you won't do anything with it, but it makes you feel better for a second to think that you might."

"A snowmobile suit was like a tuxedo for trashy folk, ... If he didn't know better, he might have thought he was a hero."

"That was really the time to worry about Portis, when ... his words turned rounded and lazy and all slid together in a stew."

"... almost like I thought I could yank him back somehow--like death is just some edge you can keep someone from falling off."

Percy James is used to her mother disappearing, but something unspoken urges her to go off in search for her, despite the approaching blizzard. Shelton Potter is the maker and dealer of the local methamphetamine trade and his house is her first stop. She doesn’t find her mother but she does find a baby, laying in front of an open window as the snow begins to pile on top of her. Not knowing what to do but knowing she can’t leave the baby, she bundles her up and begins a tragic excursion through a blizzard in Northern Michigan.

This story seems like one that has been done time and time again, but it’s one that continues to work for me. Sweetgirl is being compared to Winter’s Bone, and it isn’t wrong, but there’s a wonderful touch of humor amidst the bleakness that also reminds me of Justified. Shelton Potter is a drug-addled character that sets off in the blizzard to find baby Jenna in a misguided attempt at being a hero. At one point he’s sucking on helium balloons and whiskey when he runs out of gas in his snow mobile in the middle of nowhere while pondering the complexities of our existence.

‘His head was throbbing. He wondered if he got worse headaches on account of how big his head was. It stood to reason that he would.’
Deep thoughts, right? He reminded me greatly of Dewey Crowe (Justified) for obvious reasons.

Percy James was a headstrong girl that was clearly used to taking care of herself. Despite moments where she appeared far too articulate for a sixteen year old girl, she was still written genuinely and made the sort of decisions one would expect from a teenager. Like instead of hiking into town to find help for the baby, she sets off deeper into the hills to enlist the help of her mother’s ex, Portis Dale, a kind but troubled man. Together, they traverse the snow-covered hills attempting to survive nature and survive Shelton Potter’s men. Portis Dale was a welcome addition and added another level of wittiness to the story.

“Am I being testy? I’m sorry, Percy. As your cruise director I deeply regret any momentary discomfort my tone may have caused you.”

Sweetgirl impressed me most with its striking descriptiveness and how vividly the scenery was brought to life. There may have been some slight issues in general, but it triumphed in terms of Percy’s personal evolution. For such a short novel, she manages to overcome adversity while learning how to know when to do the right thing and realizing her potential for a brighter future outside of the hills of Cutler County Michigan.

‘Mama loved me. I knew that she did. She loved me in a way not even Starr could, but it had been a long time, maybe as far back as that day at Spring Lake, that her love had not felt confused and undercut with sadness. This had always been the torment of Mama’s love and it remained so now – it was both the sun that had borne me and the endless orbit I tread around its burning.’

Storytelling that holds your attention with solid characterization and a simple plot that moves rapidly. Mulhauser lacks the command of language and lyricism of a more seasoned author, but he is effective at weaving a desperate chase through a winter storm in the Michigan hinterlands. The real antagonist isn't the meth-head or his thugs; it's the weather. I can't help but compare the author to Daniel Woodrell, Ron Rash, or Donald Ray Pollock, and he doesn't yet command their depth or mastery of pacing and description. Not great, but worth a read, though it will quickly fade from your memory.

I stumbled upon this story and was very happily surprised! Excellent characters, storyline, writing style, you name it. To a degree, the writing reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss; every word was there for a reason and in many cases the result was truly eloquent. I started the book late last night, read for a chapter or two, decided I was sleepy and set my kindle aside...and then picked it up again to keep reading!

While we witness an incredible coming of age, this story is anything but. Told through the eyes of a tough, independent teen who was forced to grow up too fast before we meet her, Sweetgirl is a tale of a girl forced to make choices at a young age that no one should have to. Once introduced to us, her decisions lead the reader on a run for freedom through the cold Northern Michigan woods in the dead of winter, introducing us to characters that are seldom seen in the Lake Michigan tourist towns of the north, where this story is set, but those who are the foundation of any desolate small town in the midwest. In a careful balance between good and evil, Mulhauser threads a tale with an empathetic pen giving us a reason to feel and have hope for each character, sometimes against our own initial wishes.

Percy, 16, takes the reader on a trip through a geography seldom shared in literature. A small town in the midst of the fictitious Cutler County (near Charlevoix and Emmet counties for those familiar with Michigan) and the surrounding woods where we meet many characters who have chosen a life outside the law. She's on the run, and for good reason ... after attempting to locate her mother, a meth addict, Percy rescues a neglected infant child from the house of her mother's dealer, and now it's her life and the baby's she must protect. The first few chapters set up this work nicely and once past them you won't be able to put this book down.

16-year-old Percy James' drug addict mother has been gone nine days when Percy learns mama is "on a bad one" and sets out to look for her. What she finds, after hiking through a blizzard to a rural farmhouse, are two passed-out meth addicts, a dead dog, and a baby, wet, hungry, and dusted with snow from an open window, but very much alive.

The search for her mother now eclipsed by the need to get this baby to a hospital, we follow Percy, now carrying the child, back into the blizzard, where the snow and cold are almost as dangerous as the meth dealers and seedy ex-cons that populate this frozen landscape.

Mulhauser's writing is vivid, wryly funny, and heartbreaking. I couldn't put the book down.

I liked everything about this book - use of language is exquisite; characters are interesting and the author made me care about most of them; the story is believable; and I felt like I, too, was in the midst of the cold and snow and gloom.

A few reviewers have mentioned that some characters sound much more intellectually sophisticated than they would in real life. I noticed that, but decided (a) I didn't care, and (b) it worked. I don't know why, but it made the book better.

I loved the character development and found myself drawn in to what they had done, what they were doing and how it was going to go for them. I found myself thinking there's just no way a 16 year old should have to navigate the sort of stuff that Percy had to but we don't always get what we want. I'm always amazed how people can respond so well to trying situations. It makes me feel better about the world. Percy made me feel better about the world I live in when there's so much to not feel good about. I found myself proud of her and hopeful for her. I hope she is doing well and I wish there was a way I could know if she was. I just love it when I read a book and find myself in another world that seems to be happening right along with mine. Also loved the music references. Some of them made me work a little to know who they were. That was fun. Quite a story. I would love to know more about what's in this author's head so I hope the next adventure is coming soon.

Sweetgirl is a very exciting, compelling book. My two favorite authors are Wiley Cash and Tom Franklin, now I have three TRAVIS MULHAUSER.
It is a book that you do not want to end. I'm particularly proud of Percy, at such a young age, knew how to keep little Jenna as safe as she could.
Proud of her that she finally decided to walk away from her Mother when she came home, found her car parked at her house and saw her pouring vodka.....it would have been the start of the beginning all over again and she was smart enough to know that.
By the way I just ordered Greetings from Cutler County from my local book store.
Good luck to you Travis Mulhauser you are awesome for sure !!
Donna Manley

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read that was some what predictable. A drug addict's daughter finds a baby in bad conditions. Taking the baby thru a blizzard to try and get medical help, then all kinds of meth-head logic ensues. An okay plot with believable characters.

BRAVO, to Travis Mulhauser for writing a stunning book. I got to read it in one fell swoop and loved it. Among my favorite aspects:
--Vividness of the characters. I felt like I knew them personally.
--Humane portrayal of even the biggest screw-ups
--Pacing that drove the plot. I was on the edge of my seat.
--An ending that felt true to life. It was deeply satisfying the author didn't pull a Downton Abbey and give everybody happily everafters.
I've read a lot of fine novels and thought Sweetgirl ranked right up there. I am going to recommend it to friends.

This novel reveals the side of addiction often left unexplored- the children affected by the addict. The young woman in this novel faces the responsibility of taking care of her mother and looking after herself for most of her childhood. Then, in an unexpected encounter, she realizes the truth about herself and the heartbreaking choices we all have to make. At the same time, the thought process of a drug addict is shared with the reader in a way that evokes a surprising wave of compassion. A terrific read!

Excellent read that really puts you in the moment. I could truly feel the roller coaster of emotions of each character throughout the book. The extremely harsh depiction of surviving an adventure of this magnitude during a Northern Michigan snow storm made me feel like I was riding shotgun with Percy all the way out of town. I can't wait to read about her next adventure. From Greetings from Cutler County to Sweetgirl, Travis has shown his amazing growth as an author and I can't wait to hear from him again soon.

This is a wonderful debut novel from a talented writer. Picked the book up and couldn't put it down. Smart, funny, scary, sad, hopeful, and tender in all the right spots. Buy this novel. You won't be disappointed!

Sweetgirl is riveting from the first sentence. Mulhauser has invited us to witness something tragic, touching, and hopeful -- and I feel so honored to have met his unforgettable characters. You will enjoy this book in one sitting -- I couldn't put it down! Looking forward to Mulhauser's next novel.

Sweetgirl is an action packed, riveting story about survival in the north. It's sharp, fast, witty writing will make you laugh out loud one minute, and thoughtfully reflect on family bonds and the cycle of poverty the next. Mulhauser expertly alternates between crime caper, and tender social commentary. The heart of the story lies with Percy, a compelling heroine whose intelligence, heart, and resilience keeps the reader cheering from start to finish. Fantastic read!

Great story by a talented writer. Absorbing and couldn't put the writing down. I cannot wait to read what the author publishes next. Set against a vivid landscape, Sweetgirl tells the story of the struggles, resilience, and survival of the 16 year old protagonist. An honest portrayal of making tough decisions for the right reason. Complete page turner.

Amid unpredictable twists and turns of inclement weather and lives in peril Travis Mulhauser weaves a compassionate tale of grit, survival, determination, altruism, and vulnerability of the human spirit.

Three-dimensional characters(damn, some of these characters are nearly 6-dimensional), a brisk pace, a keen sense of place, and the humor and original voice of Mulhauser make "Sweet Girl" one of most notable debuts in recent memory.