Swing State: A Novel

by Michael T. Fournier

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941110089
Publisher:	Three Rooms Press
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael T. Fournier is a writer/critic/musician, and the author of two novels: Hidden Wheel (Three Rooms Press, 2011) and Swing State (Three Rooms Press, 2014), as well as Double Nickels on the Dime (33 1/3/Continuum), a book-length discussion of the 1984 Minutemen album of the same name. He is founder and co-editor of Cabildo Quarterly, a broadsheet literary journal. His writing has appeared in the the Oxford American, Vice, Pitchfork, and the Boston Globe. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Rebecca and their cat.

Editorial Reviews

"Through each of his characters, the author addresses issues that surface in poor, rural communities, treating these sensitive topics with compassion. With his masterful development of characters and themes, and an uncanny ability to weave these stories together seamlessly, Fournier creates a compelling portrait of life in the American underclass." —Rain Taxi

“Explores the effects of poverty and the resulting domestic violence. . . in doing so reveals the complex underpinnings of American disenfranchisement.” —The Compulsive Reader

"Across a setting of boarded-up storefronts, unemployed workers and lack of social services, the three narratives slowly begin to merge in a way that will definitely not provide the proverbial happy ending." —GazetteNet

"Swing State succeeds in taking readers into the prison of despairing lives," —Concord Monitor

"Fournier pulls no punches with Swing State—it’s a world where every step forward means two steps back. Few readers will expect a happy ending, though many may be surprised by the way the three stories ultimately merge. By making his characters simultaneously distinctive and authentic, Fournier ensures that readers carry on until the end and that they walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to get there." —Library Journal

"Fournier recognizes that scenes are forged by the energy of the people involved and remembered by the artistic tomes they leave behind, and nails both perspectives. It’s managed to make me excited . . .” –NewArtillery.com

"Fournier's books reflect the changing attitudes of the punk rock and indie music scenes - both mocking their hypocrisy, and praising them for changing the social attitudes of the day." —KNPR
"With the DIY ethos of a zinester and the backing of a small press, Fournier takes his inspirations from musicians and writers on the fringe of society. A fellow rebel!" —Blackheart Magazine

From the Publisher