August

A Novel

By: Callan Wink

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

A boy coming of age in a part of the country that’s being left behind is at the heart of this dazzling novel—the first by an award-winning author of short stories that evoke the American West.

Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

“August reads like early Hemingway, retooled for the present.” (William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Barbarian Days)

Callan Wink has been compared to masters like Jim Harrison and Thomas McGuane. His short stories have been published in The New Yorker and have won numerous accolades. Now his enormous talents are showcased in a debut novel that follows a boy growing up in the middle of the country through those difficult years between childhood and adulthood.

August is an average 12-year-old. He likes dogs and fishing and doesn’t mind early-morning chores on his family’s Michigan dairy farm. But following his parents’ messy divorce, his mother decides that she and August need to start over in a new town. There, he tries to be an average teen—playing football and doing homework—but when his role in a shocking act of violence throws him off course once more, he flees to a ranch in rural Montana, where he learns that even the smallest communities have dark secrets.

Covering August's adolescence, from age 12 to 19, this gorgeously written novel bears witness to the joys and traumas that irrevocably shape us all. Filled with unforgettable characters and stunning natural landscapes, this book is a moving and provocative look at growing up in the American heartland.

©2020 Callan Wink (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“In this tightly controlled yet highly unpredictable novel we discover what it is like to come of age in a part of America that is always changing, always the same.”—The Guardian

“Told with all the economy, clarity of character, and lively prose that mark [Callan] Wink’s short stories, this is writing that would tell just as well around the campfire as it does on the page.”—The Millions

“Like a current Jim Harrison, Wink makes irresistible drama out of an individual’s search for identity in landscapes that are by turns romantic and limiting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Enthralling Story, Abrupt End

Overall I had a good time listening to this book. It was very easy to get sucked into this story and picture everything that was happening within the world, however the end is very... VERY... lackluster. I felt like I was missing the other half of the story, feels like 1 big teaser for a fantastic book.

Good slice of life story

I really enjoyed this book, it was a good slice of life/coming of age story. Great character development.

I should mention that the first hour has some stomach-churning passages dedicated to the massacring of cats. It serves a purpose and the book is worth the read, but I wish I’d had a little warning. It was very difficult to listen to since I couldn’t just skim over the details as I would with a physical book.

The narration was excellent with dialogue but quite slow otherwise. I found myself wanting the narrator to keep up the same energy throughout the book. I remedied that by listening at 1.15x speed.

The story and narrator

This is a good story. Relatable. Sincere. The writing is eloquent. I laughed at several places and felt deeply for the characters in others.

It feel real

Growing up during this same time, but in a huge city, this was an interesting take on that time. Enjoyable, raw, human and asking the more interesting questions, but also just moving through life.

I wish I had the time back that I wasted on the story

A fairly well written and wonderfully performed story of a completely uninspiring and boring set of characters

When it came to an end I seriously thought I skipped over several chapters on the audiobook and in retrospect the entire story seems like a Cliff Notes version of what could have been a compelling story