Travis Mulhauser
Author of Sweetgirl
About the Author
Image credit: photo by Viki Redding
Works by Travis Mulhauser
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MA, Fiction)
North Central Michigan College
Central Michigan University - Short biography
- [from author's website]
Travis Mulhauser was born and raised in Northern Michigan. His novel, Sweetgirl, (Ecco/Harper Collins) was long-listed for The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize, was a Michigan Notable Book Award winner in 2017, an Indie Next Pick, and named one of Ploughshares Best Books of the New Year. Sweetgirl has also been published in France, Germany, Brazil, The Netherlands, and the UK.
Travis is the author of Greetings from Cutler County: A Novella and Stories, and received his MFA in Fiction from UNC-Greensboro. He is also a proud graduate of North Central Michigan College and Central Michigan University. He lives currently in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and two children. - Birthplace
- Michigan, USA
- Places of residence
- Michigan, USA
Durham, North Carolina, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
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 show more 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.
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/2016/01/sweetgirl.html show less
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 show more 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 show less
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 show less
"I had never considered myself the adventurous type, and this entire ordeal had only confirmed that fact. You will not find me in any of those mud races, or leaping from a perfectly good airplane to prove some vague point about the human spirit. I do not relish risk or seek thrills and cannot understand people who pay their good money to endanger and punish themselves. You got to have it made to even think like that, to walk around feeling like your life needs a few more challenges thrown show more in.
I wish they had a website for such people. Rich folks with a bunch of crackpot energy. People like me could post help-wanted ads and then the adrenaline junkies could do something of actual value with their foolishness. I mean, why run through some mud when you could come to Cutler and rescue a baby from the drug-ravaged farmhouse of a fucking lunatic?"
Percy James, younger daughter of a meth-addicted mother, sixteen years old and working full time refinishing furniture, does not have time for this shit. But when her missing mother is reported to be wandering around the property of of the local meth manufacturer/dealer during a snowstorm, Percy sees no other option than to go look for her mother. All she finds at said meth house is the dealer and his girlfriend passed out downstairs with a dead dog in one bedroom upstairs and a baby crying by an open window in another. Since no thrill-seeking rich people are to be found, she sets out for safety with the baby (malnourished and suffering from a really nasty diaper rash).
The narrative alternates between Percy's first person POV and a third person omniscient perspective following Shelton Potter, aforementioned meth dealer, who eventually wakes up and goes in search of the baby, calling in help from some other seriously sketchy characters. Percy is aided by Portis Dale, one of her mother's many ex-boyfriends, and the closest thing to a father figure she has. As they traverse the hilly forest and lake in the blizzard, their conversations cover classic rock, fish stories, Portis's adventures in Mex-ee-co, all in with formalized speech and dry humor.
This is grit lit with a sense of humor (think a Coen brothers movie in literary form) and a lot of heart. Consider this rant from Portis about Warren Zevon being excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
"The point is, they can induct whoever they want into their ridiculous club, but do not expect me to take you seriously as an institution when you sent artists of Warren's stature in favor of a disco scourge like Barry Gibb...He wrote a song called 'Keep Me in Your Heart'... It was right before he died of cancer. And I will tell you right now that song will hollow you out with its truth. You will feel as if a piece of your own heart has been carved away. And what did Barry Gibbs do? Wore tight pants and made music for homosexuals, that's what."
So Warren Zevon...That's basically what this book is like. show less
I wish they had a website for such people. Rich folks with a bunch of crackpot energy. People like me could post help-wanted ads and then the adrenaline junkies could do something of actual value with their foolishness. I mean, why run through some mud when you could come to Cutler and rescue a baby from the drug-ravaged farmhouse of a fucking lunatic?"
Percy James, younger daughter of a meth-addicted mother, sixteen years old and working full time refinishing furniture, does not have time for this shit. But when her missing mother is reported to be wandering around the property of of the local meth manufacturer/dealer during a snowstorm, Percy sees no other option than to go look for her mother. All she finds at said meth house is the dealer and his girlfriend passed out downstairs with a dead dog in one bedroom upstairs and a baby crying by an open window in another. Since no thrill-seeking rich people are to be found, she sets out for safety with the baby (malnourished and suffering from a really nasty diaper rash).
The narrative alternates between Percy's first person POV and a third person omniscient perspective following Shelton Potter, aforementioned meth dealer, who eventually wakes up and goes in search of the baby, calling in help from some other seriously sketchy characters. Percy is aided by Portis Dale, one of her mother's many ex-boyfriends, and the closest thing to a father figure she has. As they traverse the hilly forest and lake in the blizzard, their conversations cover classic rock, fish stories, Portis's adventures in Mex-ee-co, all in with formalized speech and dry humor.
This is grit lit with a sense of humor (think a Coen brothers movie in literary form) and a lot of heart. Consider this rant from Portis about Warren Zevon being excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
"The point is, they can induct whoever they want into their ridiculous club, but do not expect me to take you seriously as an institution when you sent artists of Warren's stature in favor of a disco scourge like Barry Gibb...He wrote a song called 'Keep Me in Your Heart'... It was right before he died of cancer. And I will tell you right now that song will hollow you out with its truth. You will feel as if a piece of your own heart has been carved away. And what did Barry Gibbs do? Wore tight pants and made music for homosexuals, that's what."
So Warren Zevon...That's basically what this book is like. show less
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 show more 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. show less
'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 show more 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. show less
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