Bow’s Boy A Novel
Bow’s Boy, a novel by Richard Babcock, was published by Scribner on September 21, 2007. This reprint edition spans 368 pages and is presented in English. The narrative centers on the small town of Laroque, Wisconsin, during the 1960s, where seventeen-year-old Ginger Piper, a talented high school athlete, captures the attention of G. Bowman Epps, a wealthy and lonely lawyer. Epps sees in Ginger not just a promising sports star but a potential heir to his own legacy as a groundbreaking criminal attorney. Their relationship begins with a summer apprenticeship, setting the stage for an exploration of ambition, mentorship, and the complexities of small-town life.
As the story unfolds, it delves into the repercussions of the Vietnam War and the generational divide it creates within the community. The plot thickens when Ginger faces serious accusations that challenge his reputation and Epps’s loyalties. The narrative is further enriched by the perspective of Charlie Stuart, Bow’s investigator, who reflects on his own troubled past while recounting these events thirty years later. Bow’s Boy examines themes of greatness, loyalty, and justice, all while navigating the intricate dynamics of family and friendship amidst societal upheaval.
Official synopsis Publisher
Every now and then, a small American town produces someone with such out-of-place talent that he seems to have come from a different world. In the 1960s hardscrabble town of Laroque, Wisconsin, seventeen-year-old Ginger Piper, a high school sports hero and a disarmingly poised and articulate young man, is that sort of figure. Or at least G. Bowman Epps—a rich, lonely, middle-aged lawyer—believes he is.
Bow is something of a town legend too: Ungainly and scarred, brilliant and stern, famous for great inherited wealth, he seems a vestige of a time gone by in a town where the legacy of past greatness—embodied in the ornate, decaying, and defunct opera house—casts a literal shadow. But when Bow discovers Ginger Piper, he is energized and inspired. Where others have seen merely a charming basketball star, Bow spies the seeds of something greater and the drive, intelligence, and passion to carry on Bow’s legacy as a groundbreaking criminal attorney. When Bow offers the boy a summer apprenticeship in his orderly practice, it is an investment in a certain future, and the initiation of an oddly matched friendship. But when Ginger is accused of a startling crime that changes the town’s perception of him, Bow is not only surprised, he’s also implicated, and forced to choose between his fierce sense of logic and his admiration for the boy.
The story unfolds as the first agonizing repercussions of the Vietnam War are being felt and the American people are struggling to comprehend a new kind of war. It inspires a startling division between the generations at home, as politics and personal lives inevitably collide.
Bow’s investigator, Charlie Stuart, narrates the events thirty years later, adding a perspective colored by tortured memories of his manic father and his halting pursuit of a young woman in town. Anchored by a compelling mystery, Bow’s Boy is ultimately about greatness, heroism, loyalty, and justice, and the pain and solace of family.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Bow’s Boy A Novel” about?
Who is the author of “Bow’s Boy A Novel”?
When was “Bow’s Boy A Novel” published?
What is the ISBN for “Bow’s Boy A Novel”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
