The major turns in his own story are born from the actions of others - the spontaneity of his lover, the violence of his roommate, the bold flirtation of a fellow researcher struggling with the debilitating effects of Lyme disease. Our main character observes more than he acts. And if Nathan is the thinly veiled fictional version of the author, as Kimberling’s bio suggests, we can see how the skills - and limits - of a birdwatcher affect the book.

The writing is at its best when venturing into darker themes: violence, regret, lost love.Īs a birdwatcher, Nathan has the trained eye of an observer. The voice has an exquisite charm and endearing wit.

With self-deprecating humor and compassionate insight, Kimberling describes the many wonders and many more pitfalls of southern Indiana and its often bizarre residents: mushroom hunting vets, the perturbed custodian of a cemetery where Nathan has discovered an unearthed human bone, the owner of Fast Eddie’s Burgers and Beers who developed the enormously popular “Thong Thursday,” and a childhood friend turned stabbing victim, turned pot dealer turned violent threat. Ernie wrote back, said it must run in the family.” “Ernie had a letter last week from a little boy calling his sister a bitch. In another section we are introduced to the residents of Santa Claus, Ind., who spend their free time penning irreverent replies to children’s letters addressed to St. “But sometimes God’s a little forgetful and he gives you a grandchild from some other place.” “God don’t make everyone Texan so it’s kind of ingratitude to up sticks and go live somewhere else,” Nathan’s aunt tells him. We meet Lochmuller’s wonderfully die-hard Texas relatives who move to Indiana lamenting the loss of the Lone Star State. Not all of his adventures are in the forest.

While listening to the call of thrushes or observing the mating habits of the brown-headed cowbird, Nathan reflects on Indiana culture (or lack thereof), pines for his on-again/off-again lover Lola, or awkwardly interacts with lost hunters, stalking Klan members and other wayward souls lurking through the Midwest underbrush. He rambles through the forests of Indiana checking nests, listening for birdsongs, and scribbling down notes. Nathan Lochmuller, the sharp-tonged narrator of Brian Kimberling’s engaging debut book of fiction “Snapper,” has a cool job.

Snapper by Brian Kimberling