It's February 1987. Post-college, Bo dreams of being a writer but doesn't have the courage, deciding he "hasn't suffered enough" and that he needs "something big to happen." He's out of a job, out of time, and he's losing the love of the girl with "a face that might not launch a thousand ships, but perhaps a few hundred small pleasure craft." He's a mess as he sets out on a journey to discover the Things That Matter. He finds sanctuary among "The Boys," a somewhat eclectic cadre of childhood buddies that help him navigate his journey.
A Bullet in the Head, an Arrow through the Heart is a wry study of the behavior of young men through their relationships with women and their enduring friendship with one another. It's a coming-of-age-late story set in a world of barflies and distance runners, psychics and tattoo artists, hillbillies and pit bulls, nurses and road trippers, and, of course, a girl. It's a love letter to friendship and to love itself, told in equal parts comedy and melancholy.
Young men, and men who were once young in the 1980s, will love this story because it's familiar and funny. Young women, and women of all ages trying to figure out men, will love hating it as they gain insight into the "real" male psyche. Love it or hate it, it's a journey you'll want to take!
A Bullet in the Head, an Arrow through the Heart is the first novel by Mark Bohac. He lives in Wickford, Rhode Island, with his wife, Teri, and their four children.