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Haymaker
In a political culture infused with debates about personal liberties, the role of government, and even the definition of “freedom” itself, Haymaker tells the story of an isolated Michigan town that becomes the flashpoint for some of the principal ideological debates of our day. When a libertarian organization selects the town as its flagship community, hundreds of its members migrate and settle within the town’s borders. The resulting clash with local townspeople is violent and impassioned, even as the line that divides the two sides increasingly blurs.
The story follows characters on both of these sides: an eccentric millionaire known as The Man in White, who is still viewed as an outsider even after living in Haymaker for thirty years; a policewoman trained in hostage and suicide negotiations who questions raising children in this new environment; a teenage girl devoted to basketball and her desire to leave home, who has a close but complicated relationship with her uncle, a local who fistfights outsiders in an annual challenge; a libertarian PR expert, just hoping to calm the storm; and the town’s mayor, who owns a local diner and is raising a baby daughter as her husband becomes tragically unhinged.
A town first settled by lumberjacks, prostitutes, and roughnecks, Haymaker’s present becomes as volatile as its past. Haymaker is a story about the failure of best intentions and the personal freedom of individuals to do good or to harm. This witty and politically charged novel will certainly appeal to Michiganders and Midwesterners, but will also interest those looking for an entertaining fictional account of a situation that could plausibly play out in one of the many small, remote towns in the country.
The story follows characters on both of these sides: an eccentric millionaire known as The Man in White, who is still viewed as an outsider even after living in Haymaker for thirty years; a policewoman trained in hostage and suicide negotiations who questions raising children in this new environment; a teenage girl devoted to basketball and her desire to leave home, who has a close but complicated relationship with her uncle, a local who fistfights outsiders in an annual challenge; a libertarian PR expert, just hoping to calm the storm; and the town’s mayor, who owns a local diner and is raising a baby daughter as her husband becomes tragically unhinged.
A town first settled by lumberjacks, prostitutes, and roughnecks, Haymaker’s present becomes as volatile as its past. Haymaker is a story about the failure of best intentions and the personal freedom of individuals to do good or to harm. This witty and politically charged novel will certainly appeal to Michiganders and Midwesterners, but will also interest those looking for an entertaining fictional account of a situation that could plausibly play out in one of the many small, remote towns in the country.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2015
215 people want to read
About the author
Adam Schuitema
6 books34 followersAdam Schuitema is the author of the short-story collections 'The Things We Do That Make No Sense' (2017) and 'Freshwater Boys' (2010) and the novel 'Haymaker' (2015). His works have twice been named Michigan Notable Books by the Library of Michigan.
Adam's stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Glimmer Train, North American Review, Indiana Review, TriQuarterly, and The Southern Review. He earned his MFA and Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and is an associate professor of English at Kendall College of Art and Design. Adam lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and daughter.
Adam's stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Glimmer Train, North American Review, Indiana Review, TriQuarterly, and The Southern Review. He earned his MFA and Ph.D. from Western Michigan University and is an associate professor of English at Kendall College of Art and Design. Adam lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 12, 2021
This easy read that will stay with me for a while. Plot was difficult to read at times, waiting for disaster at every twist, finished…. Sigh of relief… got to respect Mother Nature.
December 1, 2021
This book really grabbed me from the beginning, and that it focused on many things Michigan quite helped, but I thought this was everything I'd want out of a good novel. The characters were solid and not saccharine, the premise and plot were well executed, and there are several twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Loved Donnie Sarver and Roosevelt Bly, but there were a lot of great supporting characters as well. Seemed totally believable, and given the current political environment especially relevant. Thoroughly recommended to politically-minded long-time Michiganders. Cover art for the book was also very striking and possibly relevant on several levels to the content of the book.
March 5, 2017
Haymaker provides an engaging story, but more than that it provides a chance to think about something we often take for granted: our sense of ownership over a place.
A fictional town of about 1,000 located in remote U.P. Michigan, Haymaker's residents have a strong pride in their community. It is theirs. Outsiders are welcome for their dollars (vital to the local economy), but little else. It's a tight-knit community and, given the harsh winters, not the most hospitable place to live; the residents have earned it. It is easy to think that any outsider who sticks around has at best an ulterior motive. So when a group of Libertarians seeks to migrate to Haymaker and make it their own--to use it as a foothold, through the democratic voting process, to bring Libertarianism to politically recognized stature--naturally they encounter a fierce resistance from the locals.
The story is told through interesting, multifaceted characters like Donnie Sarver, self-proclaimed defender of the town against those who would threaten its current form, and Josef Novak, Libertarian PR man with a young family simply wanting to spread his political ideals. On the face of it, Donnie and Josef--the Haymakes and the Libertarians--share a very similar set of beliefs. But no matter how similar the politics are, no town wants to be invaded. The sense of ownership is real, and it is strong.
I recently moved to a new town, my fourth in eight years. And every time I move, at first, the area is unfamiliar. It can be hard to believe that someday, after daily driving and walking around the town, these streets will become as well-known to me as the lines on my hands and face. The paths start fresh and unknown, but they grow well-worn and comforting. Still, at first, there is always resistance. It takes time. Change and acceptance happen gradually, with something like feeling that a new place is one's own.
Now Haymaker, the town as a whole, must respond to dramatic change. The newcomers face a resistance stronger than mere unfamiliarity. The sense of place in Haymaker, Michigan, is strong. But is it malleable as well, or will the town be broken?
A fictional town of about 1,000 located in remote U.P. Michigan, Haymaker's residents have a strong pride in their community. It is theirs. Outsiders are welcome for their dollars (vital to the local economy), but little else. It's a tight-knit community and, given the harsh winters, not the most hospitable place to live; the residents have earned it. It is easy to think that any outsider who sticks around has at best an ulterior motive. So when a group of Libertarians seeks to migrate to Haymaker and make it their own--to use it as a foothold, through the democratic voting process, to bring Libertarianism to politically recognized stature--naturally they encounter a fierce resistance from the locals.
The story is told through interesting, multifaceted characters like Donnie Sarver, self-proclaimed defender of the town against those who would threaten its current form, and Josef Novak, Libertarian PR man with a young family simply wanting to spread his political ideals. On the face of it, Donnie and Josef--the Haymakes and the Libertarians--share a very similar set of beliefs. But no matter how similar the politics are, no town wants to be invaded. The sense of ownership is real, and it is strong.
I recently moved to a new town, my fourth in eight years. And every time I move, at first, the area is unfamiliar. It can be hard to believe that someday, after daily driving and walking around the town, these streets will become as well-known to me as the lines on my hands and face. The paths start fresh and unknown, but they grow well-worn and comforting. Still, at first, there is always resistance. It takes time. Change and acceptance happen gradually, with something like feeling that a new place is one's own.
Now Haymaker, the town as a whole, must respond to dramatic change. The newcomers face a resistance stronger than mere unfamiliarity. The sense of place in Haymaker, Michigan, is strong. But is it malleable as well, or will the town be broken?
July 31, 2015
I'm partial to books that take place in Michigan where I live and I'm also a fool for books that take me to places in such vivid detail that I feel must visit there. We went to Rome after reading Angels and Demons and Amstersdam after reading John Irving's Widow for One Year. I'm sorry I won't be able to visit the fictional town of Haymaker, the town that Adam Schuitema has created in this novel is vivid in not only its sense of place, but its weather, people and politics.
Schuitema has created some wonderful characters and each feels very authentic.(I want to know more about Ash and would love to see her in another story). Often with stories placed in small towns characters seem to fall into cliche--and he avoided this with Haymaker. No one was totally predictable or or typical "small town." He created in the Haymakes, a fierceness and reliability on community that readers will appreciate.
As I read through Haymaker I tried to imagine how it would end and wasn't able to predict that, which made for a satisfying read.
Schuitema has created some wonderful characters and each feels very authentic.(I want to know more about Ash and would love to see her in another story). Often with stories placed in small towns characters seem to fall into cliche--and he avoided this with Haymaker. No one was totally predictable or or typical "small town." He created in the Haymakes, a fierceness and reliability on community that readers will appreciate.
As I read through Haymaker I tried to imagine how it would end and wasn't able to predict that, which made for a satisfying read.
June 28, 2015
Great weekend read. Michigan Yoopers take on Libertarians.
There were no winners in Haymaker when an organized group of libertarians decided to integrate into town life. As the conflict unfolds I would find myself cheering for a character in one chapter and booing them in another. The thing is, both sides probably had close to the same views, but their execution was maddening. Loved Roosevelt Bly, neither a Lib nor Haymake, or maybe he was both,but he cared for all. Donnie on the other hand....... don't tread on him. Read for pleasure
There were no winners in Haymaker when an organized group of libertarians decided to integrate into town life. As the conflict unfolds I would find myself cheering for a character in one chapter and booing them in another. The thing is, both sides probably had close to the same views, but their execution was maddening. Loved Roosevelt Bly, neither a Lib nor Haymake, or maybe he was both,but he cared for all. Donnie on the other hand....... don't tread on him. Read for pleasure
October 9, 2015
What does it mean to be from a place? How long do you have to live somewhere to affect the culture or the laws of a place? The characters in this story grapple with these and other issues as a group of Libertarians moves into a small town in UP Michigan, creating schisms as they attempt to turn it into a bastion of freedom. Sometimes plodding, sometimes melodramatic, but ultimately thought provoking and readable.
April 29, 2015
Read it. Loved it. Blurbed it.
June 29, 2015
Great book by a local (MI) author...Yoopers vs.Libertarians (Flatlanders), yeah what could go wrong there? Support your local authors!
January 24, 2018
Catching up on unread books in my possession. I picked this up a couple years ago after after reading one of Adam's short stories on Cheap Pop, befriending him on social media, and meeting him in person at the Voices of the Midwest conference in Ann Arbor. Perhaps what took me so long to get to it was that I was nervous that the Politics and Ideas were going to make for some heavy reading, and I needed to be in the right place (in general, What We Read Next outside of school is a fairly organic journey.)
I shouldn't have worried. The Ideas are there of course, but they flow naturally from his fictional (but not) setting and the people who live there. I've always been fascinated by my home state of Michigan, where the liberal leaning Detroit/Ann Arbor borders more conservative West Michigan. And then the UP is pretty much another planet to us Detroit kids. The state's full of diverse politics, backgrounds, economies, and cultures. I love it. Adam's Haymaker and the Haymakes and newcomers alike distill some of that into a little universal microcosm. I loved learning more about my home state while also enjoying a good story. Plus it was fun casting the town, such as picturing one of the old regulars at my restaurant job as Mr. Roosevelt Bly. Reading books set in the Midwest from my new home in Nashville keeps me connected to Home.
I shouldn't have worried. The Ideas are there of course, but they flow naturally from his fictional (but not) setting and the people who live there. I've always been fascinated by my home state of Michigan, where the liberal leaning Detroit/Ann Arbor borders more conservative West Michigan. And then the UP is pretty much another planet to us Detroit kids. The state's full of diverse politics, backgrounds, economies, and cultures. I love it. Adam's Haymaker and the Haymakes and newcomers alike distill some of that into a little universal microcosm. I loved learning more about my home state while also enjoying a good story. Plus it was fun casting the town, such as picturing one of the old regulars at my restaurant job as Mr. Roosevelt Bly. Reading books set in the Midwest from my new home in Nashville keeps me connected to Home.
August 25, 2017
To avoid spoiling anything, I'll just say that if you are looking for a contemporary novel set in a place that you'd love to visit without fear of being invited to the annual shit-kicking, then this is the book for you. Adam does a great job of showing us this town, it's inhabitants, and the people who believe they can mold it into something that they believe is better than it already is. The book reminds me of what it's like to love a place and at once know that that place would kill me if I hadn't left.
To be clear: this is not a "delightful summer read." This is a book that deals with complicated issues, emotional and political. I guess compared to say, Heart of Darkness" it's a beach read. But I don't guess anyone asked that question, so who knows why I answered it. Anyway: Donnie Sarver is a character who fascinates me, and even if this book had been about him alone, it would've been good. But there are plenty of characters developed in interesting ways to keep you engaged.
To be clear: this is not a "delightful summer read." This is a book that deals with complicated issues, emotional and political. I guess compared to say, Heart of Darkness" it's a beach read. But I don't guess anyone asked that question, so who knows why I answered it. Anyway: Donnie Sarver is a character who fascinates me, and even if this book had been about him alone, it would've been good. But there are plenty of characters developed in interesting ways to keep you engaged.
November 30, 2022
Loved this book! Lots of characters are introduced in the early chapters, so get out a pen and paper if you need notes on who's who. The author does a great job of describing a small town in upper Michigan, and anyone who's been there can relate to the descriptions of Lake Superior, the sands, the cold and remoteness. The story has some really colorful characters and wonderful twists to it and keeps the reader interested until the end.
August 17, 2017
This is not a book I would generally choose off the shelf. My library hosted the author, Adam Schuitema, whose presentation inspired me to take a chance. A small town in the U.P. of Michigan meets the demographics for a libertarian political group to move there en masse in order to grow their political presence. The characters came alive and revealed small town secrets.
February 19, 2019
Haymaker is a small town in the UP, population 1000 - quiet, until. Libertarian organization selects the town as its flagship community. Great characters and dialogue. I enjoy novels located in the UP.
April 12, 2023
Good writing. Definitely more of a story-focused book than an idea-focused one — the political/sociological themes take a backseat to the human drama. Wish there was more exploration of the colony life, logistical issues face by the Community, and the reforms they wanted to implement.
July 9, 2019
Liked it, really good imagery. Interesting concept that’s not too far from reality. Left me wanting more.
December 17, 2021
Excellent book. Great Character development!
March 11, 2016
I read a lot of Michigan books and I always find myself debating whether the book is "Michigan enough." I've been reading a lot of the Michigan Notable Book award winners lately, and I've found several of them were Michigan books only because they were set in local cities or because they mentioned one of the Great Lakes. I was very pleased to find that Adam Schuitema's book Haymaker earns the "Michigan enough" designation for me.
In Haymaker, Schuitema paints a small Upper Peninsula of Michigan town on the shores of Lake Superior. As a person who spends a great deal of time in just the region he describes, I felt like I had been to this town--to Rusty's bar and to the Boomtown Festival. When a Libertarian group decides to move en mass into Haymaker to set up a political base, the freedom-loving Yoopers (as those from the U.P. call themselves) must confront these outsiders as well as their own place in the world.
The Michigan Book Award committee chose well with this very Michigan book.
In Haymaker, Schuitema paints a small Upper Peninsula of Michigan town on the shores of Lake Superior. As a person who spends a great deal of time in just the region he describes, I felt like I had been to this town--to Rusty's bar and to the Boomtown Festival. When a Libertarian group decides to move en mass into Haymaker to set up a political base, the freedom-loving Yoopers (as those from the U.P. call themselves) must confront these outsiders as well as their own place in the world.
The Michigan Book Award committee chose well with this very Michigan book.
August 21, 2016
I doubted the back cover comparison with Winesburg, Ohio at first, because Anderson's portrait of Ohio is beautifully structured, a series of portrait short stories in which other characters figure but avoid any moralistic overarching structure. Haymaker lived up to this praise, however. Each of his characters had a pleasing independence, and Schuitema did not follow any of them too closely. This resulted in a portrait of the community that felt complete, and a sense of the individuality of each character without the navel-gazing quality that more single-character driven stories can so easily fall into. It painted the northern landscape wonderfully (that first page was so thoroughly worth it) and filled in that background with an engaging plot, unexpected yet inevitable, full of the variation of a story that a whole community can tell.
March 14, 2016
A real page-turner. Although some may find the subject difficult in the current political climate, it's timeliness is one of its strengths. Characters are fascinating, sometimes lovable, sometimes despicable but always interesting. There are many themes here: coming of age, poverty, economics, politics, philosophy, chicanery, heroism, all put together in a setting that rings all too true.
Prose is economical - sometimes lyrical, but no wasted words.
A book club would have a field day with this.
Prose is economical - sometimes lyrical, but no wasted words.
A book club would have a field day with this.
September 28, 2015
I don't usually write reviews, but I felt like I should for this one since I've met the author in person and heard him read a few different pieces of his work.
This book is absolutely great. It's different from what I usually read, but if you're in the market for an engaging story that is woven beautifully throughout the book then read this. I loved the imagery and was completely able to relate to the Michigan references. I think both of these things is what made it great for me.
This book is absolutely great. It's different from what I usually read, but if you're in the market for an engaging story that is woven beautifully throughout the book then read this. I loved the imagery and was completely able to relate to the Michigan references. I think both of these things is what made it great for me.
January 6, 2016
This was a not so wild tale told in a not so fictional town in the Upper Peninsula. I think that's what makes it work is that line between what could happen, in our getting crazier world. The UP references abound if you know anything of Grand Marais and the surrounding area and of course in the end not many people can put up with the cold! Fun, suspenseful, and crazy read.
March 1, 2016
Popsugar reading challenge - a book set in my home state of Michigan. Not sure if it counts as it was about the U.P. which is practically another state. Interesting what-if story of libertarians trying to take over.
November 29, 2015
I am reviewing this novel for The Atticus Review and will post a link to the review when it's published.
December 27, 2015
Although I thought the subject matter would be interesting and had hopes for a bit of intrigue, I found the book extremely slow moving and less than exciting. I was very disappointed.
June 3, 2016
I found this book about a group of libertarians moving en masse to a small U.P. town really interesting!
June 8, 2016
Great Michigan tale. Very well written and thought provoking.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews