Wringer

In the small American town of Waymer a boy’s tenth birthday brings with it the privilege of becoming a ‘wringer’, whose function is to break the necks of those birds wounded, but not killed, in the annual Pigeon Day shoot. It is generally regarded as a significant initiation rite, signalling a move from childhood to adolescence. But for nine-year-old Palmer LaRue eager anticipation gives way to painful apprehension, as he attempts to cope with his distaste for what is expected of him. His progress towards selfhood is marked by a series of ugly and violent confrontations with the agents of cruelty and convention, offset by the tenderness of his relationship with the birds. This is a complex, gripping and touching novel, with a memorable young protagonist.