Set in a small seaside town at the turn of the 20th Century, this beautifully written story is about Sonny, a Native American boy, and his interactions with locals and elusive visitors. Through Sonny, we learn about the societal structure of the time; we meet interesting people (I sympathized with most), endure their hardships, feel their kindness. I read this book in one sitting trying to catch up with Sonny’s adventures and wondering what in the world this kid will get into next. A truly enjoyable read!

In The Outliers, we meet Sonny, a young Nanticoke youth who, after a complex and traumatic childhood, has found himself some sense of rightness working for and living with Miss Lil and her girls in a brothel by the shore in Lewes. Everything seems, if not wholly right with his world, at least stable and secure after the death of his father, his subsequent stay at an Indian Boarding school, and the death of his mother before his brother Daniel came and freed him. That is, until the day that a mysterious Marshal arrives and begins asking questions about the brash young man who's been spending time with one of Miss Lil's girls. Is the Marshal's story true? Is Sonny's estranged brother Daniel about to face a dangerous confrontation after all he's done for Sonny? And if these things come to pass what will come of the world in which Sonny has come to find his place?

The Outliers is a nicely written historical novel that does a nice job of setting a scene and expressing the world occupied by Sonny and his fellow citizens of Lewes. There's genuinely nothing I would change about this book except that it doesn't quite seem to pack the punch it intends to with its narrative and so the story doesn't quite hit the way I'd hoped. This doesn't mean that it won't do so for other readers, however.

From the title to the characters to the evocative cover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in an unlikely small town feeling the effects of a large construction project, the viewpoint character, Sonny keeps trying to find a normal rhythm to his days, but the world around him interferes with his plans. Working for the local Madam, Sonny has his share of adventures when several strangers show up in the seaside town. For those who are fans of the western genre, this is a fun read.

This book has a lot going for it. Yes, the Western-genre feel to it is not everyone's cup of tea, but at heart, it's a fun caper that involves many colorful characters. The main character is a Native American boy, and he and the local madam form a nice bond throughout the book. I liked the writing style - lots of punchy, short sentences that give you a sense that Sonny is talking to you, and keep the story moving. Just know that it is more of period piece (turn of 20th century) - but if you're a fan of Tombstone and Butch Cassidy, you'll enjoy it.

I was intrigued by the description, but I found it incredibly difficult to get into the story. Each of the characters seemed boring and unable to connect with the others.

This book was OK. It was kind of out of the zone of genres I usually read, and the quality of the characters didn't help very much. They seemed kind of like stock characters out of an old western film. 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book in exchange for a review.

This isn’t ideal. To be the first person to rate and review the book and not love it. You want to be the one who’s made this great literary discovery and is presenting it to the world, but it just doesn’t work out like that every time.
So dear book it isn’t you, it’s me. You’re fine. You’re competently written and all that. It just wasn’t for me and tried as I might…just didn’t care for or about it. The individual elements were fine, a compelling protagonist, nifty use of real life historical characters, etc. but it just didn’t speak to me. Despite how dialogue heavy the narrative was.
You’d think a former NAS A scientist would be writing science fiction, but no, guess he’s more of a space cowboy. Or at least a fan of Westerns. And I’m not. And while In do believe that if a book is good enough it’ll connect with the reader no matter the genre, this wasn’t the case here. This book took the cowboys and Indians way literally, with mustachioed marshal and native American brothers and a wanted bank robber who all get mixed up together during a hefty theft scheme.
A lot of stock genre characters, brothels and all. The very white looking author boldly chose to write from the perspective of a Native American teenager. You’d think the PC police would come after him with pitchforks immediately screaming cultural appropriation and so on. But realistically speaking this book is small enough to get away with it.
This was a quick read with an engaging protagonist that began intriguingly and ended well, btu the middle got too soggy with western flavored action. Genre fans would probably appreciate this a lot more. Thanks Netgalley.