Greetings from Cutler County: A Novella and Stories

by Travis Mulhauser

Greetings from Cutler County is both a nonstop ride of tragic hilarity, and a piercing look at the complexities of youth.

In one northern Michigan community the lives of desperate small-town dreamers are examined through an ensemble cast as earnest as they are outrageous, and as compelling as they are heartbreaking. The lovers, crooks, failures, and survivors of Cutler County are so flawed and genuine you can't help rooting for them-no matter how foolish or hopeless their pursuits may seem.

The stories take place in Cutler County, Michigan. Most of the characters are young men who think of themselves as losers and outsiders. Short on cash, popularity, and the ambition needed for success, they nevertheless are able to examine their failings with the self-knowing humor and resignation of the perpetually thwarted ne'er-do-well.

The stories are inseparable from the stark shoreline of their Lake Michigan settings-the cavernous woods and vast inland lakes that shape life in northern Michigan-and create a landscape as rugged and dramatic as youth itself. Greetings from Cutler County explores the common triumphs and tragedies of coming of age, while providing a rationale and humor that is uniquely and unforgettably its own.

Genres: Short Stories

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 20, 2005

About the author

Travis Mulhauser was born and raised in Northern Michigan. His novel, The Trouble Up North (Grand Central/Hatchette), received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, was an Amazon Editor's Choice Pick, and was an Apple Audio Must Listen selection. 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, an Indie Next Pick, and was named one of Ploughshares Best Books of the New Year.
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, two children, and dog. He has been published in France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, and the UK, and his novel, Fair Chase (Grand Central/Hachette), is forthcoming in April 2026.