For the past three years, Cooper Wyatt has lived a transient lifestyle – riding from town to town on his motorcycle, sleeping on the streets, and supporting himself however he can. Pierced and tattooed, he is running from his wild alcoholic past and a terrible mistake that he made. The only thing that brings him joy is the music that he coaxes out of his violin. When chance brings him to the town of Santo Ignacio in California, his life begins to transform, and he finds friendship and acceptance with the residents of this town that the locals call St. Nacho. It is here that Cooper meets Shawn Fielding, who works in the same bar as Cooper. He has the face of an angel and a dominant personality that belies his appearance. He is also deaf. Regardless of his inability to hear, Shawn understands Cooper better than anyone ever has.

Just as Cooper is gaining happiness in his life, he is called back home to Minnesota to face the mistakes of his past. A friend – the very friend that he found trouble with in the past – needs him, and the feelings of guilt and remorse that have haunted Cooper for the last three years will not allow him to refuse. And so he turns his back on the joy he has found in St. Nacho and returns to the town that reviles him. In Cooper’s mind, he deserves to pay the price for his mistakes, even if that price costs him his happiness.

Z. A. Maxfield’s novel St. Nacho’s is an engrossing story about a man who must learn to love and forgive himself before he can seek that emotion from others. It is well-written and brilliantly characterized, and it will grab the reader’s heart and attention from the very first page. In Cooper, we have a man who refuses to forgive himself for the sins of his past. He is angry and withdrawn, and he punishes himself constantly. The contrast between his rough exterior and the beauty of his music is both startling and fascinating.

Although I have never been a fan of first-person narration, Ms. Maxfield has used it very effectively in St. Nacho’s. As we watch Cooper emerge from his self-imposed cocoon as the story progresses, we also experience his transformation with him. This keeps us from getting to know Shawn as well as we might perhaps desire; however, we are able to see exactly what effect Shawn has on Cooper and how his deafness and his dominance are exactly what Cooper needs.

I found this story of love, hope, and redemption absolutely stunning and enthusiastically endorse it as a Recommended Read. St Nacho’s is without a doubt one of the better books I have read in quite a while.

Reviewed by: Whitney