NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A gripping American-on-the-run thriller . . . a brilliant coming-of-age tale and a touching exploration of father-daughter relationships.”—Newsweek “One part Quentin Tarantino, one part Scheherazade, and twelve parts wild innovation.”—Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of CommonwealthNAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST … OF PASTE’S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Washington Post • Paste
Samuel Hawley isn’t like the other fathers in Olympus, Massachusetts. A loner who spent years living on the run, he raised his beloved daughter, Loo, on the road, moving from motel to motel, always watching his back. Now that Loo’s a teenager, Hawley wants only to give her a normal life. In his late wife’s hometown, he finds work as a fisherman, while Loo struggles to fit in at the local high school.
Growing more and more curious about the mother she never knew, Loo begins to investigate. Soon, everywhere she turns, she encounters the mysteries of her parents’ lives before she was born. This hidden past is made all the more real by the twelve scars her father carries on his body. Each scar is from a bullet Hawley took over the course of his criminal career. Each is a memory: of another place on the map, another thrilling close call, another moment of love lost and found. As Loo uncovers a history that’s darker than she could have known, the demons of her father’s past spill over into the present—and together both Hawley and Loo must face a reckoning yet to come.
Praise for The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
“A master class in literary suspense.”—The Washington Post
“Tinti depicts brutality and compassion with exquisite sensitivity, creating a powerful overlay of love and pain.”—The New Yorker
“Hannah Tinti’s beautifully constructed second novel . . . uses the scars on Hawley’s body—all twelve bullet wounds, one by one—to show who he is, what he’s done, and why the past chases and clings to him with such tenacity.”—The Boston Globe
“The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is an adventure epic with the deeper resonance of myth. . . . Tinti exhibits an aptitude for shining a piercing light into the corners of her characters’ hearts and minds.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
more
I’m in the middle of it and loving it. Tells a great story. Dad has twelve bullet scars. Stories of how he got them are sandwiched with raising his teen daughter.
A moving father-daughter story, beautifully and poetically written, with an interesting structure revolving around the many times that the protagonist’s father was almost killed while committing crimes.
This is a story of a teenaged girl and her father. Her parents have a history no one talks about, but we learn that story through the telling of the tale of each of the physical scars her father bears. It sucked me in and I couldn’t wait for the ending climax.
Samuel Hawley is a single father of a girl named Loo (Louise). He has been her sole caregiver since she was less than 1 year old. Loo has no memories of her mother, and her dad rarely talks about her. He keeps pictures of her in the house, but hidden from visitors. Loo and Samuel have spent most of Loo’s life on the run. Moving from town to town. Samuel’s past is always chasing him, so he ties to keep ahead of it. Now that Loo is a teenager, he wants to give her a more stable life. So he settles in his late wife’s hometown and begins steady work. Loo becomes more and more curious about the mother she never knew, and meets her grandmother for what she assumes is the first time. Her grandmother has never approved of Samuel, but she is willing to let him back in her life so she can be a part of Loo’s. Loo begins to piece together her father’s past by the scars – all 12 from bullets from his criminal past – he has. His past has come back for him, and this time Loo is caught in the middle.
This was a good book. I cannot imagine being shot 12 times and surviving to tell about it. Hawley’s past is a big part of this book – almost each chapter a story of how he received a scar. But woven in there is the story of Loo and her grandmother, and Loo’s mother before Loo was born. The book did end a bit abruptly – like books sometimes do – but that is never my favorite. I like a nice clean break, but alas, I didn’t get it here.
Check it out.
Beautifully written and constructed. I admired it so much!
This father daughter story revolves around his 12 bullet holes and the life story that comes with it. It is a really good read.
Loved this book!
Wonderful read
The author’s ability to create a detailed universe filled with interesting characters is exceptional. I do like her earlier novel, The Good Thief, a little better because it’s universe is a little more unusual. Both are good reads.
Loved it.
Thoroughly enjoyable book. Delved into family relationships and the tough decisions that are faced throughout life. I had never read anything by this author prior but will definitely look to read her next book
The beginning of the book is that of a man, Samuel Harley, trying to raise his daughter after his wife has died. The daughter adores him, while his mother-in-law can barely abide looking at him or her grand-daughter. The story unfolds via his past “lives.” While discovering who Samuel Hawley is and how he has gotten to this point, you are taken on one hell of a ride. Although parts of the book are a bit unbelievable ( thus the 4-star rating), it is highly entertaining and well worth reading.
I am not quite finished with this book, but have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is different than I expected and a very nice surpr5ise.
12 lives is a wonderful story full of heart. Your journey with Sam and his Daughter, Loo takes us on a bumpy, emotion filled ride and you will have a hard time putting this book down and an even harder time knowing it is coming to an end. Yes, I cried, but I cheered also!
Intriguing
Memorable characters, quirky story
Entertaining and well-paced father/daughter relationship and coming of age story set against a criminal on the run backdrop. Will keep you reading well beyond your bedtime!
Left you hanging….but what an unusual story.
I knew early on that I would miss these characters , so I didn’t want the book to end. Hannah Tinti is a literary treasure.
I really enjoy books told from the perspective of a child growing up. This story has it all: well-developed characters, a bit of a mystery, a spunky child, backstory a plenty.