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    Sweetgirl
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    Sweetgirl
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    Sweetgirl
    Audiobook5 hours

    Sweetgirl

    Written by Travis Mulhauser

    Narrated by Cassandra Morris and MacLeod Andrews

    4/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    A tense cat-and-mouse game and a brilliantly realised story of hope in a seemingly hopeless place

    A LIFE IS IN HER HANDS

    The last thing Percy expected to find in the local drug den was a baby girl. Now she needs to get the baby to a hospital, and fast. But there’s a blizzard outside and soon two-bit criminal Shelton Potter has woken up and is on the hunt for whoever has taken the baby . . .

    ‘Read-in-a-day, stay-up-all-night compelling’ Stylist

    ‘The Catcher in the Rye meets Fargo’ Digital Fix

    ‘Hilarious, heartbreaking and true’ NPR

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateFeb 11, 2016
    ISBN9780008142360
    Unavailable
    Sweetgirl
    Author

    Travis Mulhauser

    Travis Mulhauser is from Petoskey, Michigan. He lives currently in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and two children and earned his MFA from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

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    Reviews for Sweetgirl

    4/5

    60 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I thought this well-written, rural-noir thriller was really terrific. I had never heard of the author before, but I would be happy to read what he writes next. Set in northern Michigan during a blizzard, the book is alternately exciting, touching, funny, sad and tragic and would make a really good movie. Fifteen year old Percy goes to find her drug addict mother in a meth house, and instead finds Shelton (the drug dealer's nephew) and Shelton's girlfriend Kayla, who are both passed out in a drugged-out stupor. She also finds a decomposing dog and an unattended infant, Jenna. Percy impulsively takes Jenna to the house of her mother's old boyfriend, Portis, to enlist his help in getting Jenna to the hospital, which proves to be awfully hard to reach. Portis, Percy and Jenna are pursued through the snow by Shelton and an inept and unpredictable collection of his uncle's minions. Shelton is probably an idiot even when sober, but I can't be certain of that, since he was both stoned and an idiot at all times in the book. Portis on the other hand was drunk at all times but never an idiot. He was shrewd, caring, clever, funny and responsible. They were both interesting characters, as was Percy, who seemed to have turned out quite well despite a difficult childhood. The writing was lean and crisp, without a lot of unnecessary details. The book took unexpected turns and the ending was satisfying. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      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.’
    • 4/5
      The first thing I noticed about this book was how wonderfully it was written, the words and the plot just flowed aimlessly. Nothing was forced, it was all as natural as a story being told to one person by another. Another thing was the location, grit lit in Northern Michigan. Love it! The characters, Percy and Portis are both very memorable characters. Percy, sixteen years old with way to much responsibility for one so young, trying to take care of her mother who is hooked on drugs and alcohol. Portis, a man who despite his addictions is a stand up guy, one who is there in pinch, always available to help Percy. He really tries to help her, and will pay heavily.This is an adventure story but also a character study. Drugs, addictions, the harm and sorrow they cause to others and to themselves. So incredibly powerful that even though they wish they were different, could change, that the rough circumstances they find themselves in could be alleviated,they are unable to get out from under the drugs spell. There are bad guys in this novel certainly, but bad guys who it seems wish they weren't. The book ends on a very hopeful note, that Percy might manage to escape the dire future that seems to beckon and have a fulfilling life. This is a novel about caring, doing the right thing and the hardships and brutality reality of addictions. Brilliant.ARc from publisher.
    • 5/5
      My first 'mystery' novel from Blind Date with a Book, and such a good selection! I don't know if I would ever have chosen to read a book like this, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story.'Everything got sideways,' he said. 'It all got twisted around.' So says one of the characters in this quirky adventure, and I couldn't put it better myself. Sixteen year old Percy James heads through the snow in northern Michigan to find her estranged doped-up mother at a notorious dealer's house, and instead finds a neglected baby freezing to death by an open window. Instead of returning to her truck and driving to hospital, Percy sets off on foot with the baby to her mother's ex boyfriend, Portis Dale, seeking help. When she changes the baby's nappy, they find terrible sores on her body and realise she needs urgent medical attention, but Portis' truck is also parked miles away. So they have to hike through the woods, in a blizzard, with a malnourished baby. And then they realise that Shelton Potter, the dealer living with the baby's drug addict mother, is coming to get the baby back.A breathless blend of True Grit and Fargo, I found myself instantly caught up in Percy's (mis)adventures - all she wanted to do was keep the baby safe from her whacked-out mother, only to find herself on the run from a dangerous and completely unstable man, in sub-zero temperatures, hiking across treacherous terrain in unsuitable footwear. Whatever happened to just calling the police? Percy is a great character with a pioneer spirit and a wry sense of humour, and Portis is equally droll but also full of midwestern wisdom. I even felt sorry for addle-brained Shelton, mourning the death of his dog and trying to do the best by the baby and his mother. There is a lot of substance abuse in this book, but I'm guessing there's not a lot more to do in small, cold town.This is the author's debut novel, but I would definitely read more of his work. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Oh my word. Travis Mulhauser!

      Signs of a great writer:

      1) The ability to horrify the reader with what's happening while making them laugh. Check.
      2) Writing from first person POV and swapping with third person - and reader doesn't care/notice/give a damn. Check.
      3) Writes about what's happening to his characters in such a way the reader rubs her toes, thinking they too are frost bit. Check.

      I read this while flying to and from New Orleans for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. It was the perfect airport/plane seat read because I had no clue I was trapped in such crowded conditions. Nope. I was in Michigan with Percy, Shelton (Jughead!), Portis, and all the others.
    • 4/5
      I think SWEETGIRL was a Michigan Notable book a couple years back, and deservedly so. Travis Mulhauser is quite a writer. This story of drug addicts and crazies in northern Michigan is just one hell of a ride. Its heroine, 16 year-old Percy James, is doing her best to rise above her roots and her meth-addicted mother. And then suddenly there's this screaming, neglected baby that she finds in a meth house, and of course she has to rescue it, and it all takes place in the midst of a raging northern blizzard. And therein hangs this tale - a barreling, non-stop ride of terror and tenderness, leavened with chuckles and amazement at the stupidity & brain-scrambled, drug-addled madness of Shelton Potter, a 'big-headed' villain you can't quite bring yourself to hate. And there's Portis, the closest thing to a father that Percy's ever known, whose wisdom and love shows through the cracks of his whiskey-soaked sadness.And speaking of Portis, you can't help but think of TRUE GRIT's heroine as you share Percy's flight through the snow-covered woods seeking aid for the baby she's grabbed and run with. I thought too of another classic thriller, John Smolens' chilling Upper Peninsula novel, COLD. Or another winter chiller that came to mind was Bill Roorbach's THE REMEDY FOR LOVE. But that's just me - always looking for comparisons. This Mulhauser guy, he's got his own writing chops. He's damn good. I enjoyed the hell outa this book. Very highly recommended. - Tim Bazzett, author of the Michigan memoir, REED CITY BOY
    • 4/5
      At sixteen, Percy is more grown up than most at her age. Her mother is a meth addict, who has disappeared. Percy goes to the dealer's house to find her mother but instead comes across an unattended baby. She takes the baby and beings a journey through a wild blizzard to get the baby to safety.A great debut novel!
    • 4/5
      Dieses Jugendbuch wurde überall recht positiv besprochen, so dass es in unserem Korsika-Urlaub auch alle lesen wollten, zuerst mein Mann, dann ich und nun meine Tochter.Und es ist wirklich ein tolles Buch. Die sechzehnjährige Percy hat die Schule geschmissen um sich um ihre drogenabhängige Mutter zu kümmern. Auch zu Beginn des Buches ist sie auf der Suche nach ihr, doch sie beim Dealer ihrer Mutter findet sie ein verwahrlostes Baby. Dieses möchte sie retten, sie nimmt es mit und will es in die Notaufnahme bringen.In Michigan ist aber ein unglaublicher Schneesturm und Sheldon, der Dealer, merkt irgendwann auch, dass das Baby verschwunden ist.Das Buch ist spannend und aberwitzig. Die Charaktere sind super gezeichnet - bis hin zu Baby Jenna. Percy ist ein starkes Mädchen, ohne Selbstmitleid macht sie sich Gedanken. Ihr Verständnis ihrer eigenen Chancen und Grenzen ist erstaunlich. Ich mochte aber auch die Darstellung des Dealers Sheldon, seine Eitelkeit, seine Unsicherheit. Dass man Carlettas Exfreund Portis einfach lieben muss, ist sowieso klar. Der Autor hat die Milieus, in denen das Buch spielt, sehr gut erfasst. Er erzählt eine schöne Geschichte von Erwachsenwerden und Abnabelung, mit einer ungewöhnlichen Handlung.Und am Ende laufen die Tränen...
    • 2/5
      A surehanded debut with a lean, quickly moving plot, good characters and an effective setting. The only thing that took me out of the experience was the dialogue, fabulous and pithy, but possibly a little more polished than you would actually hear coming out of the mouths of methheads, old Michigander alcoholics and a careworn but spunky teen dropout. It was like a book (a pretty good one, really) peopled entirely by Boyd Crowders.
    • 3/5
      This is pretty good, especially for a debut, and if I'd been feeling slightly more generous I would have bumped it up to four. Percy is a great character with a well-realized voice, and the story -- which revolves around a baby that Percy kidnaps or rescues (depending on your perspective) from a negligent mother -- is simple but compelling. But I don't think that the mix of third-person and first-person works (if Dickens can't sell me on it in Bleak House, I'm not going to buy it here, but that may be a personal issue) and I thought the ending was a bit of a mess.
    • 3/5
      A promising debut novel. If one wants a "genre" classifications, I'd call this "grit lit plus chick lit" but it's so much more. Library book.
    • 3/5
      Somethings did not add up. Such as the length of the hikes the protagonist took to 1) get from the crack-farm to her mother's ex-boy friend home. She stated it was 1/2 mile but the trek was endless. 2) the trek from ex-boyfriends house to his truck which was parked away from his house. They hiked for hours! Noted there was snow and it was Michigan and dead winter. 3) How does a crack head mother not freeze in a blizzard also wandering around lost in a druged haze. 4) why not hop on the abandoned snow mobile? I know it's just me but stuff like that bugs the liver lips out of me.5) everyone's trucks worked and operated in the snow including the crack mom's bonnieville! !!!!! But the ex boyfriend manages to drive off the road and get stuck. I read this quickly and the writing is compelling, interesting and fast paced. I cared about the characters and envisioned the cast of Justified as I raced through the book. I was particularly impressed with the ex's vocabulary though it was never explained in a back story. Which actually makes the story better. A very good first book.