Perfect Vignette of Life in a Small Town

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Sadly, I did not read the first in this trilogy, Vacationland, before diving into this novel, mainly because I hadn't realized it was part of a trilogy. And honestly, I'm not one hundred percent sure you NEED to read the first to enjoy this novel for what it is. And what it is is a perfect vignette of life in a small town, specifically a small, isolated town in Northern Minnesota. I was excited upon receiving this book to find it published by my current university and as a current Minnesota resident, found the setting to be familiar and likable. I think Stonich painted this perfectly accurate portrait of the wilderness we Minnesotans love so much. The characters were also well written and enjoyable. I think Pete was my personal favorite character. Do I think I missed some things by not reading the first in the trilogy? Yes probably. There were characters who popped up who I'm sure played roles in the first novel that I didn't know about. But despite that, I found it a very satisfying read, especially for Minnesotans.