Gunshots in Grudgeville

Evoking the richness of the American Midwest, Laurel Landis dips into the lives of characters we recognize, shaped by a Wisconsin sensibility and the small towns they call home.

At an Independence Day celebration, a young girl glimpses the dark side of the adults in her life. A wheelchair-bound man finds relief through an unlikely savior. A husband heads to the Northwoods seeking revenge on a bear who killed his wife, only to question his own role in her death.

Landis combines stark realism and magical realism with a dash of reverence for the beauty and healing powers of nature. There is pain here, but also redemption, healing, and deep human connection. And love.