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Swing State
"Swing State" unveils the generally overlooked decades-long economic downturn in the rural Northeast. With an unflinching eye, novelist Michael T. Founier lays bare the dim dreams and raw existence of the lives of three residents of Armbrister, New Hampshire, who share the same goal: Get out. Faced with grim prospects, the intersection of bullying and terrorism blurs, with disastrous consequences in this deftly woven tale.
240 pages, ebook
First published September 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Michael T. Fournier
4 books32 followersMichael T. Fournier is the author of Double Nickels on the Dime (Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2007), Hidden Wheel (Three Rooms Press, 2011) Swing State (Three Rooms Press, 2014) and The Impasse (St. Rooster Books 2024). He graduated from University of Maine's MA program, where he won the Steven Grady Award for fiction. His prose and music criticism has been widely published, and he's toured the United States extensively -- twice through successful crowdfunded prerelease campaigns.
Mike is a regular contributor ro Razorcake and is co-editor of Zisk, the baseball fanzine for people who hate baseball fanzines He's the drummer and main songwriter for Dead Trend, and plays bass in Plaza, Cape Cod's #1 band.
A lifelong Red Sox fan, he lives in Massachusetts with his wife Rebecca and their cat.
Mike is a regular contributor ro Razorcake and is co-editor of Zisk, the baseball fanzine for people who hate baseball fanzines He's the drummer and main songwriter for Dead Trend, and plays bass in Plaza, Cape Cod's #1 band.
A lifelong Red Sox fan, he lives in Massachusetts with his wife Rebecca and their cat.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 3, 2014
(Full disclosure: I am affiliated with this book, and I absolutely love it.) Swing State is the phenomenal story of three lives intersecting in the dried-up little town of Armbrister, New Hampshire. It follows Roy Eggleton, an out-of-work, pool hustling army veteran who is clearly suffering from PTSD; Zachariah Tietz, an overweight high schooler with an abusive, football-obsessed dad; and Dixon Dove, the school bully and sister to the town's football star. Each character tells their story in a different way: Dixon chats into a tape recorder, Zachariah uses a traditional voice but every once in a while we get snippets of the game show he's writing to parallel real-life events, and Roy basically goes stream of consciousness. His voice is absolutely my favorite, as it sucks you into his mind and his emotional state, and is also a lot of fun to read.
The characters make this book, and I got invested in them very quickly. It's a quick read and thought-provoking. It's definitely stayed with me, and every so often I wonder where Dixon Dove is now.
The characters make this book, and I got invested in them very quickly. It's a quick read and thought-provoking. It's definitely stayed with me, and every so often I wonder where Dixon Dove is now.
November 8, 2014
In Michael T. Fournier’s fab new novel Swing State, the really thrilling part is when Zachariah Tietz slumps into school and — no, wait can’t give that away. Anyway, the scene that really rattled me was when Dixon Dove heads into that abandoned — nope, that’s a spoiler. Maybe during the soccer game when Rick kicks way too hard at — dang, same prob! Fournier’s Swing State is a compelling hybrid of Updike suburban angst mixed with — I kid you not — true action. It’s Leave it to Beaver meets Hunter Thompson meets a very angry Gumby and Pokey. Get on board for the zooming plot and stay for the wry, compassionate prose.
March 16, 2015
Aside from the depressing plot-line, I enjoyed reading this book. Fournier uses multiple first-person narratives to tell this story. The author (full disclosure: we met in 8th grade) interweaves them successfully. The characters are rendered realistically, illuminating the problems faced by those in our dying cities and towns.
October 18, 2014
Swing State is a thought-provoking and edgy novel with colorful characters readers can't help but enjoy.
Readers are given an in depth look into the mundane lives for three individuals who wish for nothing more than the chance to escape their current situations. The author takes a unique approach in revealing his characters and his writing style sets the tone for their desperate situations. The first person we meet is Roy. The author uses short punchy sentences to relay Roy's view on life and it effectively portrays him as a hostile and bitter army war veteran. Next we are introduced to Zachariah. He suffers abuse at the hands of his father and it has clearly taken a toll. He is depressed and envisions impending death all around. His narration is very passive. Finally we meet Dixon Dove a high school bully who enjoys making everyone around her miserable. She communicates her story by way of a recording. Each of the is unique yet essential to making this story a stimulating read. Will any of them find what they're seeking?
Swing State is well worth the read. Available October 20, 2014 on Amazon.
Readers are given an in depth look into the mundane lives for three individuals who wish for nothing more than the chance to escape their current situations. The author takes a unique approach in revealing his characters and his writing style sets the tone for their desperate situations. The first person we meet is Roy. The author uses short punchy sentences to relay Roy's view on life and it effectively portrays him as a hostile and bitter army war veteran. Next we are introduced to Zachariah. He suffers abuse at the hands of his father and it has clearly taken a toll. He is depressed and envisions impending death all around. His narration is very passive. Finally we meet Dixon Dove a high school bully who enjoys making everyone around her miserable. She communicates her story by way of a recording. Each of the is unique yet essential to making this story a stimulating read. Will any of them find what they're seeking?
Swing State is well worth the read. Available October 20, 2014 on Amazon.
February 17, 2015
Riveting... loved reading Swing State. Great to follow all the characters, especially when their paths met and viewing them from the point of view of one of the other ones. The best was when the 3 main characters' stories intertwined. I felt that the reader was challenged to change perception, just when we were getting comfortable thinking of each character in their own skin.
The visuals about the overweight Zachariah having to wear blue paint was hilarious, I felt a little well-meaning Schadenfreude.
The depiction of an economically depressed mill town kept my curiosity. I thought Dixon Dove's need for a car or bicycle highlighted that many places revolve around cars, with so many economies & job markets requiring cars to get around even though there are many who can't afford or don't want them. Michael Fournier really made it so that the characters travails could be thought about in how the relate to broader issues.
Fournier presents an excellent book, and I usually go for non-fiction. A sequel, please?!
The visuals about the overweight Zachariah having to wear blue paint was hilarious, I felt a little well-meaning Schadenfreude.
The depiction of an economically depressed mill town kept my curiosity. I thought Dixon Dove's need for a car or bicycle highlighted that many places revolve around cars, with so many economies & job markets requiring cars to get around even though there are many who can't afford or don't want them. Michael Fournier really made it so that the characters travails could be thought about in how the relate to broader issues.
Fournier presents an excellent book, and I usually go for non-fiction. A sequel, please?!
January 14, 2015
Disclosure: I got this because I am friends with the author through mutual reading events (HUMBLE BRAG)and wanted to support their IndieGogo campaign (though I was planning on picking it up either way).
Regardless of that - it's a story following three characters who despite their differences (age, background, etc) are all similar in that they share a common goal: get out of their small, quiet hometown (it doesn't matter who wrote it - it's something that resonates with me, and I'm sure many others). With that being such a strong theme, the author creates a very descriptive picture of this world, offering a lot of detail (in part from characters' insight) for such a quiet New England 'burb.
Without giving too much else away, you'll quickly find yourself on the side of all three main characters and rooting for them along their journey. And if you're like me, you won't be able to put it down as their stories start to come to an end.
Regardless of that - it's a story following three characters who despite their differences (age, background, etc) are all similar in that they share a common goal: get out of their small, quiet hometown (it doesn't matter who wrote it - it's something that resonates with me, and I'm sure many others). With that being such a strong theme, the author creates a very descriptive picture of this world, offering a lot of detail (in part from characters' insight) for such a quiet New England 'burb.
Without giving too much else away, you'll quickly find yourself on the side of all three main characters and rooting for them along their journey. And if you're like me, you won't be able to put it down as their stories start to come to an end.
October 28, 2017
Full disclosure, Mike F is a friend, old roommate, and put me in the acknowledgements for putting him and his wife (another friend) up during book and reading tours.
Swing State is a deep, dark dive into a small New Hampshire town's struggling residents' lives. His characters are well written and reflect each other's struggles.
If you're looking for upbeat tomes, keep looking. If you're looking for a glimpse into high school drama and post-war PTSD, enjoy!
Swing State is a deep, dark dive into a small New Hampshire town's struggling residents' lives. His characters are well written and reflect each other's struggles.
If you're looking for upbeat tomes, keep looking. If you're looking for a glimpse into high school drama and post-war PTSD, enjoy!
March 5, 2018
I wanted there to be just one more chapter...
November 3, 2014
Armbrister, New Hampshire, isn't doing well in this economy. Most of the men in town worked in the mills, but the mill work went overseas and the mills closed down one by one. There wasn't much else in the way of work; not much construction when no one could afford to buy, not many restaurants when eating at home was cheaper. Stores closed down and the people of the town struggled to make it from month to month.
Three young residents typify the population. Royal finished high school but with bad grades that meant no college for him. He joined the military, went to Afghanistan and is back in town when an injury sent him home. He's willing to work but can't find a job. He's getting by playing pool for money and spending days in the library to keep warm.
Dixon's brother is the town's star athlete, the one everyone says has a chance to make it to the pros. The college recruiters are visiting. Dixon's family just wants to be sure she doesn't mess up his chances with her juvenile delinquency and her reputation for getting high and maybe being too friendly with the guys.
Zachariah is the fat kid. He used to be one of the guys, on the soccer team and part of the gang, but after he had an embarrassing incident, everyone dropped him and now he's the kid no one wants to talk with. No one except those who want to torment him, like Dixon. Even his father, who lives for Armbrister football, beats him. Zach knows he needs to find a way to escape. He spends his days baking and working on game shows that he hopes will take him to another life.
Michael Fournier has written two novels. He is founder and co-editor of Cabildo Quarterly, a literary journal. His writing has appeared in the Oxford American, Vice, Pitchfork and the Boston Globe. He lives in western Massachusetts.
Swing State explores what happens to a town and those who live there when the jobs dry up and everyone is struggling to get by. The characters try different strategies, but only the rare individual manages to carve out a life that is satisfying. But these are strong individuals and they keep trying, refusing to give up and accept that their lives will never be better. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in other's lives and how they handle the obstacles life gives them.
Three young residents typify the population. Royal finished high school but with bad grades that meant no college for him. He joined the military, went to Afghanistan and is back in town when an injury sent him home. He's willing to work but can't find a job. He's getting by playing pool for money and spending days in the library to keep warm.
Dixon's brother is the town's star athlete, the one everyone says has a chance to make it to the pros. The college recruiters are visiting. Dixon's family just wants to be sure she doesn't mess up his chances with her juvenile delinquency and her reputation for getting high and maybe being too friendly with the guys.
Zachariah is the fat kid. He used to be one of the guys, on the soccer team and part of the gang, but after he had an embarrassing incident, everyone dropped him and now he's the kid no one wants to talk with. No one except those who want to torment him, like Dixon. Even his father, who lives for Armbrister football, beats him. Zach knows he needs to find a way to escape. He spends his days baking and working on game shows that he hopes will take him to another life.
Michael Fournier has written two novels. He is founder and co-editor of Cabildo Quarterly, a literary journal. His writing has appeared in the Oxford American, Vice, Pitchfork and the Boston Globe. He lives in western Massachusetts.
Swing State explores what happens to a town and those who live there when the jobs dry up and everyone is struggling to get by. The characters try different strategies, but only the rare individual manages to carve out a life that is satisfying. But these are strong individuals and they keep trying, refusing to give up and accept that their lives will never be better. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in other's lives and how they handle the obstacles life gives them.
February 7, 2016
A depressing but expertly woven tale of three young adults living on the fringes of society in a small NH town. The characters are realistically flawed and determined to improve their lot and you can't help but root for them and hope that somebody will give them a break. When their stories intertwine... Well, I guess you will just have to read it find out what happens.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews