Snapper

Finished May 20
Snapper by Brian Kimberling

This novel has the author reaching back into his childhood in Indiana. The main character, Nathan Lochmueller studied philosophy at university and got a job gathering primary bird research for universities and government use. It doesn't pay that well, but he enjoys the independent nature of the work and being outdoors. He drives a battered truck named Gypsy Moth and loves a woman named Lola that he met just after high school. The characters of his family and friends come alive here from Shane, his best friend growing up who became a family man and children's librarian, to Kia, the German shepherd who loves to sing along to bad country songs and once found a bone Nate doesn't know what to do with.
Above all are the birds, including his favourite, the woodthrush. His least favourite are the raptors, although he comes to work with them closely. This is a book that invokes place, the cities, the small towns, the sense of community, the prejudices that make settings come alive.